|
Support Janitors who Clean Pierce County Buildings
The janitors
currently earn $19,500 a year for full time work and
receive NO:
| »Raises |
»Job Security |
| »Health Benefits |
»Health and Safety Training |
| »Holiday and Vacation Pay |
»Standards to Prevent
Favoritism |
Janitors have raised these
concerns with the Office of Pierce County Executive John
Ladenburg many times over many months and have delivered a
petition of 200 concerned citizens who frequent the County-City
building. The janitors work for a company contracted by
Ladenburg's office. The official response of the Executive's
office so far is that they are satisfied with the situation.
When janitors speak up for respect and better conditions, they
are fired and retaliated against. Recently, Ladenburg
Administration Managers deployed police to prevent the janitors
from speaking to their elected Councilmembers on public
property. Please check the side bar to see "What's At
Stake" and background information.
After hearing from
janitors about this situation, JwJ activists went to the Livable
Communities Fair on Saturday April 8th and asked Executive
Ladenburg "How livable is Pierce County?". We educated the
public about this injustice by leafleting over 200 Fair
participants in less than 45 minutes. We also paraded
around the fair with a giant John Ladenburg puppet. Many
fair participants were attracted to the puppet and wanted to
know more about the unlivable situation in County Buildings and
what Executive Ladenburg was doing (or not doing) about
it.
As we traveled through the
fair, Executive Ladenburg and his staff showed up. When we
asked them about this situation, Ladenburg and his staff said
they were very aware of it, were "dealing" with the situation,
and "representing" the janitors. The janitors work in the
evenings when the Pierce County buildings are empty. Many,
if not most, are immigrant workers aware of employers' threat to
deport. We hope Executive Ladenburg will not be
"satisfied" to bully or ignore janitors who step up against
these obstacles and say "we are invisible and vulnerable no
more." After months of abuses and years of injustice, this
method of "dealing" and "representing" has to go.
Send a letter to the following decision maker(s):
Executive John Ladenburg
Below is the sample letter:
Subject: Hire responsible contractors & restore county Janitors' healthcare, living wages, and voice at work!
Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],
I was alarmed to find out that the Pierce County Executive's Office has contracted West Coast Industries (WCI) to clean their buildings.
As you may know, WCI does not pay its janitors a living wage, and fails to provide healthcare, other benefits, holiday pay, vacation pay, and job security.
I know that janitors have expressed these same concerns to your administration, and I am appalled by your response that you are satisfied with the current situation.
As Pierce County Executive, you have a responsibility to make sure our community is a livable community. Please hire responsible contractors and restore County janitors' healthcare, living wages, and human right to organize and to have a voice at work.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
|
|
| Take Action! |
|
Instructions:
Click here to take action on this issue
Tell-A-Friend:
Visit the web address below to tell your friends about this action to stand up for janitors in the South Sound.
 Tell-a-Friend!
What's At Stake:
How Do Poverty Jobs in County Buildings Impact Our Livable Community?
The Pierce County Executive's Office has contracted West Coast Industries (WCI) to provide janitors with no living wages, benefits, holiday pay, or job security. Janitors who clean the Pierce County Buildings are paid so low that they have to choose between paying rent and taking their kids to the doctor. When janitors exercise their rights to speak and organize, managers have retaliated and terminated workers. Marilyn Billings and Shamar Smith lost their jobs while standing up for their right to organize to improve their working conditions.
Janitors who clean County Buildings report high levels of stress since they can't afford regular medical attention. For instance, one janitor's untreated high blood pressure led to her fainting on the job site recently, and now she is $3,000 in debt for ambulance and hospital bills. Janitors, many of them single mothers, are forced to rely on emergency care and government assistance, driving up health care costs for everyone.
WCI janitors report that managers undercut community standards by paying janitors less than $19,000 a year, with no health benefits, no holiday pay, and no job security, no health and safety training, no fair standards to prevent favoritism, no consistency in work due to high turnover from the poor conditions, and no raises (some workers are making the same amount of money as they did several years ago).
Federal and State agencies are currently investigating the following violations:
- The Pierce County Maintenance Manager threatened and tried to intimidate janitors by surrounding them with two police officers and a security officer while the janitors were exercising their right to meet with their elected officials.
- Managers suspended janitors while union organizing with no charge for 2 months before terminating them. Managers have also cut janitor hours for union activity.
- Managers have blocked janitors from getting unemployment benefits. The State Unemployment office is now investigating WCI because of the high volume of unemployment applications being received and denied by WCI.
Campaign Expiration Date:
May 27, 2006
|
|
