Thousands Of NJ Cleaning Workers Willing To Strike For Contract, Union Says

NEWARK, NJ — Thousands of commercial cleaning workers in New Jersey want a raise to $20 per hour, affordable health care, and an annual “fair wage increase” for the next four years. And they’re willing to go on strike to get it, their union says.

Several elected officials, including New Jersey Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, joined labor union 32BJ SEIU for a meeting at their headquarters in Newark last week. Watch a video of the press conference here.

There were two goals: give an update on contract negotiations for nearly 6,500 commercial cleaning workers in New Jersey, and celebrate the rollout of a new state law that beefs up job protections for “service workers.”

CONTRACT TALKS

Union leaders offered an overview of the priorities for their new contract, including raising wages and protecting health insurance coverage, strengthening retirement security, and defending work week and hours.

The current contract is set to expire on Dec. 31.

“Our members clean buildings all around the state of New Jersey, from down in Camden all the way up to Woodcliff Lakes – from Jersey City all the way to Sussex County,” said Kevin Brown, the union’s executive vice president and New Jersey state director.

“I feel confident with these elected officials here today, that we will be able to come to an agreement with the contractors and the building owners of the state of New Jersey,” Brown said.

“But if we are not able to get to that agreement, our members are 100 percent perfectly willing – if we cannot get a fair agreement – to hit the bricks in January in the cold and go out on strike,” he added.

Coughlin said that the cleaning workers deserve a contract that guarantees fair wages, decent benefits and safe working conditions.

“We all learned what ‘essential worker’ truly meant over the last few years, and we should act accordingly,” he said.

The cleaners and their union also saw support from Newark City Council President LaMonica McIver.

“New Jersey janitors keep our cities running,” she said. “Their sacrifices during the pandemic and their hard work today should all be rewarded with family-sustaining wages and benefits.”

The current contract represents the first agreement negotiated since the COVID-19 pandemic “transformed office work,” 32BJ spokespeople stated. The negotiations for New Jersey members are just one in a series of contract talks with nearly 70,000 members of the union in states across the East Coast.

“Facts and figures can only convey so much about the dynamics of a contract fight,” said Ederle Vaughan, a cleaner at the Prudential Center in Newark.

“Today, my fellow commercial cleaners and I provided our elected officials with the real, personal issues at stake in our contract negotiations,” Vaughan said.

NEW STATE LAW

The union also celebrated the rollout of the Service Worker Retention Law, which took effect on Oct. 24.

The law impacts workers such as janitors, security staff, airport workers and school food employees. When a new owner takes over a company that uses “service workers,” they must retain all eligible employees for at least 60 days, or until the employees’ existing contract comes to an end – whichever comes first.

New employers aren’t allowed to cut workers’ hours in order to get around these new protections, and they can’t fire the covered employees without just cause during the 60-day period. Read More: New Jersey 'Service Workers' Get More Layoff Protections Under New Law

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