DETROIT (WWJ) – Dozens of janitors and sanitation workers in Detroit are calling for higher wages, better healthcare and a 401K as negotiations on a new contract are getting ready to begin.
Workers rallied in downtown Detroit’s Hart Plaza on Wednesday to launch the "One Detroit" campaign ahead of negotiations. The contract will affect roughly 1,800 janitors and sanitation works in Detroit represented by the Service Employees International Union.
The current contract doesn’t expire until the end of July, but negotiations will begin Monday.
SEIU represents some 50,000 essential service personnel across the Midwest, including janitors, security officers, airport employees and food service workers.
SEIU officials say currently, janitors working in downtown Detroit buildings are being “forced to raise their families on hourly wages ranging between $11.25 and $15.30.”
Officials say median annual earnings for janitors are “so low that many working families rely on public assistance just to make ends meet.”
They’ll be looking to change that with the next contract.
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Carla Anderson, an executive board member with the SEIU, represents the workers in Detroit, and she says they’re not looking to “give anything back” at the negotiation table.
“They have nickeled and dimed us for years, and now it’s our turn,” she told WWJ’s Jon Hewett. “It’s our turn to stand up and be heard. That’s why we have the standards board. We’ve finally got a voice at the standards board and we have to make our voices heard.”
SEIU Local 1 VP Pam Owens said negotiations may be difficult, but they won’t back down.
“Nobody ever comes to the table and says ‘this time we ain’t gonna give y’all a fight because y’all did good,’” Owens said. “No, they never say that. It’s always a fight.”
The calls for better wages comes as Detroit, especially downtown, sees a resurgence, fueled by new developments and building restorations. Participants in the One Detroit campaign will be urging owners of downtown buildings to "ensure that the hardworking janitors who kept this community safe during a global pandemic also benefit from that resurgence and are recognized for their hard work."
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