Invisible No More
St. Louis Janitors Demand Respect on Justice For Janitors Day
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On June 15th, over a hundred and twenty St. Louis Janitors and allies rallied and marched through downtown Clayton demanding respect for their hard work an justice in their fight for their basic workers’ rights. Jobs with Justice and the Service Employees International Union helped mobilize representatives from the broader labor movement, community and religious activists, and fellow workers to their demands to the streets.
Marchers stopped outside corporate buildings along the route who subcontract cleaning work to non-union cleaning companies and called for responsible business practices towards workers who make little more than minimum wage and enjoy minimal benefits. A letter was delivered to the offices of Enterprise Leasing asking that they also ask for responsible business practices of their cleaning subcontractor, Boldt Brothers Contracting.
This rally was just the beginning of this year’s campaign to organize and improve the working conditions of area janitors. By the end of the year, representatives of more than 3,000 area janitors will be at the bargaining table demanding progress towards living wages, health care for families, and dignity for all on the job. Stay tuned…
A Community Panel organized by JwJ’s Workers’ Rights Board has issued a report on the progress on workers’ issues at Washington University in the last year. The report, “Making Real the Promise”, notes that although much progress has been made, most sub-contracted service workers still don’t have access to health care or a living wage.
