INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
Janitors’ Victory Points Way Toward Good Jobs With Health Care for Indianapolis’ Families 
Historic city-wide contract for 1,500 will more than double the income of the average janitor, provide some relief for beleaguered Midwest
Indianapolis—As workers throughout the Midwest face ever-increasing economic pressures, Indianapolis janitors have won higher wages, more work hours, and health insurance in their first-ever city-wide union contract. The groundbreaking agreement will help lift more than a thousand janitors out of poverty, more than doubling the income of the average worker and increasing the income of the lowest-paid workers by an incredible 169% percent over the course of the contract—more than doubling the income of workers at the lowest end of the spectrum within the first 20 months alone.
“Lately there has been nothing but bad news for workers here in the Midwest,” says Perla Garay, janitor at ABM. “But this contract has built a sense of hope for everybody in this city who has to work, pay bills, buy groceries, and go to the doctor.”
The agreement comes on the heels of similar janitors’ victories reached in nearby Ohio cities Columbus and Cincinnati, cities that, like Indianapolis, have seen a sharp increase in service-sector employment. In all three cities janitors gained the support of hundreds of religious, elected, and community leaders and urged the region’s numerous Fortune 500 companies—who contract out for cleaning services and who combined take in more than $1 billion a day in revenues—to support good jobs with health care for the region’s working families, who are falling further and further behind as corporate CEOs receive record levels of compensation in the millions.
The agreement, which was ratified by Indianapolis janitors today, provides the city’s janitors with victories on four key fronts:
· Higher Wages. Janitors with current wages as low as the Federal minimum wage of $5.85 an hour will earn at least $9.00 an hour by 2012. All workers will receive incremental increases of at least $1.50 over the course of the contract.
· More Hours. The new contract will increase work hours for janitors currently provided with an average of only 4.5 hours of work a night to seven hours a shift in the first two years and eight months.
The additional hours and the wage increase mean that the average office janitor will see their income rise by 103 percent over the course of the four-year contract. Workers who currently make $5.85 an hour and are given only 4 hours a night will see their income rise by a remarkable 169 percent overall—and more than double by the start of 2010.
· Quality, Affordable Health Insurance. At a time when many employers are shifting health care costs on to workers, Indianapolis janitors won individual health insurance at a cost of only $20 per month. The health insurance will become available starting January 1, 2011.
· Paid Holidays and Vacation Time. The contract will allow workers—many for the first time in their lives—paid time off from work. Janitors will receive six paid holidays per year and be able to take vacation time beginning the first year of the contract.
The janitors’ agreement with the area’s five largest cleaning companies— American Building Maintenance (ABM), Group Services France (GSF), Mitch Murch Maintenance Methods (4M), Somers Building Maintenance, and Bulldog —was reached after janitors waged a three year campaign.
The increase in wages and health insurance will dramatically improve the lives of 1,500 Indianapolis janitors, many of whom had been earning as little as $26 a day without benefits. The increase in wages and hours will lift many families out of poverty, and provide janitors and their families with a steppingstone into the middle class while the health insurance will ensure workers have access to affordable health care.
“There are still companies out there that don’t understand that better pay and health care are good for the whole city,” said Raquel Baca, janitor at GSF. “Now these companies should see that it is possible to work together to create a better future. Our victory gives me hope that more janitors will be able to join us so we can strengthen the gains we’ve already made.”
Together in Spirit and Struggle
A prayer for contract negotiations:
O God, you have bound us together in this life with your mercy and justice. Grant your wisdom and patience to contractors and custodians as they work together to forge a new relationship that fosters dignity and equality. Multiply their efforts to create a just economy for the benefit of their families, their neighborhoods and our city. Amen. A Letter from Reverend Cushman Wood and Sister Mary Ann Lechner:
Over the past couple of years, an interfaith group of clergy has worked ardently and persistently to bring about justice for janitors in Indianapolis. We have prayed and picketed, marched and sang, visited and preached for worker justice. It is our belief that all janitors have the right to good working conditions, fair wages, more working hours, and affordable health care so that they can provide a decent living for themselves and their families. They have the right to choose whether they want to belong to a union. This will help our city in our efforts to eliminate poverty.
Clergy have led over four dozen delegations to CEOs of prominent companies. Over 125 religious leaders have endorsed a statement of principles calling on owners, contractors and the union to work together to create living wages and affordable health insurance. We have marched in numerous processions. We have spoken at countless rallies. AND we’ve prayed much! We’ve held Prayer Services in front of buildings and on the picket line and we’ve asked our congregations to join us.
We pray that the hearts of those who hire janitors will be filled with compassion and moved to action.
Our prayers, preaching and protesting have paid off! Several building owners have agreed to support efforts to change the working conditions and pay for janitors in our city. Recently, several cleaning companies have recognized their workers’ right to join the union and will be entering into contract negotiations. In addition, janitors in Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio won their first city-wide contracts just a few months ago.
And yet, there is still more work to do. Economic segregation is still a reality in Indianapolis. The process of negotiating a good contract can take many weeks and redeveloping the workforce will take several years. We must always be there to shine God's light of truth on economic justice. We must continue to pray and speak out for a vision of equality and dignity to guide contract negotiations that benefit the entire community. If we have a faith in God that inspires justice then we will keep on keeping on until every working family in our city earns a wage they can raise their children on and has a voice in the workplace. We will not give up until there is a strong and lasting contract in place!
—Reverend Darren Cushman Wood, Speedway United Methodist Church
—Sister Mary Ann Lechner, S.P., Sisters of Providence
A Letter of Hope and Prayer from Father Tom Fox to the Indianapolis Janitors
You are fighting for a righteous cause, just as Jesus and Moses fought against the injustices of those who were oppressing their people.
The Lord says in his Word to give drink to the thirsty, give food to the hungry, and clothe the naked.
I am very proud of the work that you, the janitors, and the Justice for Janitors campaign are doing here in Indianapolis. It is a difficult and dignified struggle to improve your living conditions. You have had great faith and God has heard your prayers. Religious leaders have supported you physically and spiritually in this righteous cause. Thanks to God, to the community and to you, we will win for the good of your families and of the city.
You deserve to win what you’re fighting for: fair wages, health insurance, respect and dignity on the job.
I feel unity with all of you in being able to help you achieve the American Dream for which you have yearned.
Often you work hard at two jobs, working Saturdays, Sundays and holidays in order to earn your daily bread and in search of a better way of life for your families. In addition to this work, you find time to dedicate yourself to improving janitorial jobs across the city.
God will never abandon you in this righteous struggle that rises up like a voice in the desert, and as God says in his Word, “CRY OUT TO ME, AND I WILL ANSWER YOU.”
—Father Tom Fox, O.F.M., Hispanic Ministry, Archdiocese of Indianapolis
A Letter to the Community from Pastor Paul Hartig:
Dear Sisters and Brothers, many of us are deeply concerned that the poverty level in Indiana is on the rise. During this season of giving, do you ever wonder "what can I do?" about all the injustice in the world? Many ask us how to donate money to the needy, but this year, we can also give charity by helping people who are already helping themselves. We have the opportunity this Christmas to look at the root causes of poverty and do something about it. JOIN the hardworking women and men of the Justice for Janitors Campaign in their struggle for a better future.
You may now ask, "how does this help bring Justice to the world?" It may seem like this is a mere 'finger in a crack' of the massive dam of oppression. In this case that might be exactly the right metaphor. Let's stick our 'fingers in the cracks' of this impossibly huge obstacle standing in the way of Justice and Righteousness, and preventing us from ushering in the Realm of God on earth. Let's stick our fingers into those small cracks and begin picking away a stone here, and a flake of concrete there... Let's pick at the scab of injustice until this festering wound is open for all to see, and so God can place a hand of healing on the hearts
of those who continue to patch up this dam of oppression and injustice, one insult, one humiliation, one human, or a hundred at a time.
We have been called to lead God's people, let's lead each other to a future in which there truly is no more injustice. Let's take this journey to justice TOGETHER, one crack at a time, one step at a time. Take that 'step,' now! Peace and disquiet to each of you from God above,
- Pastor Paul Hartig, St. Paul Christian Church
Click here to view/download this community newsletter
As 2,400 janitors in Cincinnati and Columbus start to benefit from a union contract…
Indianapolis Janitors Ask for Health Care, Fair Wages, and Respect this Holiday Season
Indianapolis janitors took to the streets this week with a Christmas List that read less like a letter to Santa and more like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Despite the festive holiday garb, the janitors’ message was clear: We have waited too long for positive change in Indianapolis.
Janitors—nearing the end of a three-year campaign to improve standards in Indianapolis’ janitorial industry—say that reaching an agreement with the city’s largest janitorial contractors by Christmas would help lift 1,500 janitors and their families out of poverty and ensure that Indianapolis’ poorest communities start the New Year on the right foot.
“We’ve watched Christmas after Christmas go by without being able to give our kids the gifts they want—let alone the basic necessities,” said GSF janitor and bargaining committee member Raquel Vaca. “Thanksgiving has already come and gone. We’re not spending another holiday out in the cold.”
Janitors expect to sit down this December with many of the city’s largest cleaning firms, including GSF, ABM, 4M, BullDog Cleaning Services, SBM, and OneSource.
Nationwide Momentum
The Indianapolis janitors’ campaign is the latest in a nationwide movement to raise standards in the janitorial industry and put an end to some of the country’s deepest working poverty. Already successful in 31 cities around the country—most recently in Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio—SEIU’s market-wide model brings building owners, property managers and cleaning contractors together to raise standards without putting contractors or their clients at a competitive disadvantage.
SEIU’s most recent successes came in recent months in Cincinnati and Columbus, where increased hours of work and higher wages will more than double the incomes of many of these cities’ poorest workers over the course of their contracts. These model contracts will also provide affordable health insurance by January of 2010 and are already allowing many workers to enjoy paid holidays and vacation time for the first time in their lives.
This holiday season, more than 2,400 janitors in nearby Cincinnati and Columbus are seeing the initial benefits of citywide contracts reached this year with top janitorial firms in those cities. Many of the same companies are set to negotiate with janitors here in Indianapolis, and janitors from these two cities—and across the country—have come to Indianapolis to lend their support to the local struggle.
How is Indianapolis Power and Light Treating you?
With 465,000 customers in Central Indiana, Indianapolis Power and Light plays a central role in our lives. But how does the company rate with customers? Does IPL treat all customers, including working families and minorities, fairly?
If you are an IPL customer, take some time to fill out this survey and let us know if you are receiving the kind of customer care you deserve. Together we can hold IPL accountable to our community.
IPL Customer Testimony
“I am disabled and I use a breathing machine when necessary. I called IPL to make arrangements to pay my bill, but they wouldn’t go for it. They would not let me set up a payment plan. IPL knew I could have medical problems without my treatment, but they disconnected my service anyway. They suggested that I take my breathing machine next door. I had my service disconnected for several weeks and had to stay with people from my church.”Kathi Monsen
“I called to see about getting service turned on at my apartment and IPL wanted over $800 because the tenant before me owed money. I told them my situation- that my son is on an apnea monitor so we needed electricity. They would not set up service in my name.”
To find out more, read The Shocking Truth: How Indianapolis Power and Light Leaves Indy's Most Vulnerable Families Behind.
Meet Workers from Indianapolis
[Indianapolis] Stacey Harris is a caretaker for multiple generations. The 41-year-old mother of three lives with her husband and her youngest son, as well as her Aunt Joyce, who suffers from Alzheimer’s. On the weekends, Stacey enjoys time with her three small grandchildren. Yet Stacey’s job cleaning the Lilly Tech Center for cleaning contractor 4M barely provides the basics for one person, let alone an extended family like hers.
Adtrid Caceres
[Indianapolis] Most Americans associate paying in installments over a period of years with big ticket items such as cars, boats, or houses. For the past 5 years, however, Indianapolis janitor Adtrid Caceres has been paying on the installment plan for a couple of pieces of clothing—her work uniform.
Sandra Jones
[Indianapolis] Like millions of immigrants before her, Sandra Jones came to the United States in search of better opportunities for herself and her children. As an employee of EMS, Sandra has encountered low wages, limited part-time hours, and no access to affordable health care.
Jean Simpson
[Indianapolis] Jean was on disability for a pinched nerve in her neck. But she decided that as a loving grandmother, she must take responsibility to provide for her four grandchildren. In need of additional money, Jean took a job cleaning for the Mitch Murch Maintenance Management Company at the Lilly Technology Center owned by the Fortune 500 pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly.
[Indianapolis] “The wages at EMS are not enough to support a single person let alone a man with a wife and six children.”
Becky Washington
[Indianapolis] “Indianapolis needs better jobs, jobs that pay a decent wage and provide medicine if you get sick.”