NEWARK-More than 2,000 union office cleaners representing 7,000 from around New Jersey voted unanimously to authorize their bargaining committee to call a strike if necessary, potentially affecting some of the most prestigious commercial properties in the state.
The workers, members of Local 32BJ Service Employees International Union, then marched from Essex Community College, where the vote was held, to Military Park. The vote/rally was one of three taking place by SEIU members; others were held in White Plains, NY and Stamford, CT. On December 14, thousands of union members rallied in Midtown New York City.
“The rich are getting richer and everyone else is getting poorer,” 32BJ president Mike Fishman told GlobeSt.com just before the vote. “Right now, there’s a debate going on in Congress about how to put money in people’s pockets. The way to do that is to pay them more. This is an attack on the middle class.”
Members of 32BJ maintain some of best-known properties in the state, say union spokesmen. Contract talks began in October between the union and a consortium of cleaning contractors. The current four-year contract expires on December 31 and workers will strike on January 3.
Sticking points in the talks include employers asking workers for a wage freeze and to raise their contributions to health care, 32BJ New Jersey state director Kevin Brown told GlobeSt.com at the event. In effect that would result in a wage cut.
“They want cutbacks,” Brown said. Increasing premiums and deductibles, particularly for workers making around as little as $9 per hour in some areas “might force older workers out. Service would not be as good as it is today.”
New Jersey building cleaners represented by 32BJ earn $11.50 an hour in Bergen and Mercer counties. Those working along the Hudson waterfront and in Newark earn $14 an hour, and those in other parts of the state earn $12 an hour.
“If the building were big enough, I could work full time. I’d have more time to spend with my kids,” said Sindy Vargas, a Paterson, NJ union member and mother of two, who voted yes on the measure. Vargas said she works two jobs, including a part-time position cleaning an office building in Parisippany, and thus does not qualify for health care. Her son recently was diagnosed with a heart murmur.
Though the union represents in eight states, different locales do negotiate separately--Philadelphia workers have voted to extend their contract through January 16 as negotiations continue. New Jersey’s local is receiving political and educational support from the AFL-CIO.
“It’s pretty frustrating that [this is happening] in the one of the highest per-capita income states--and New Jersey is the headquarters for so many industries,” says Charles Wowkanech, president of the New Jersey AFL-CIO, which is assisting the local with political help and educating the members. “We’re talking a middle-class issue--being able to raise a family. You can’t live in New Jersey for $10 or $11 an hour.”
Should contract talks fail and the workers strike, other unions likely would respect the picket line, he said.
“I believe most in the federation would,” Wowkanech said. “It’s sacred not to cross the picket line.”
A promised statement from a spokesman for the contractors was not received by press time.
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