At our membership meeting on Saturday, May 12, security officers, window cleaners, and janitors ratified and launched a new organizing campaign for Local 26.

For the first time in our history, we are organizing in every part of our union at the same time to unite our strength. No longer can we afford to think of our union as separate pieces: janitors, security officers, and window cleraners. We all work in the same industry of Property Services.

One Industry. One Union.
Earlier this year, our victory with the janitors’ contract showed the building owners of Minneapolis and St. Paul that we are serious about raising standards in our industry for affordable family health insurance and livable wages.

But we only addressed one part of the industry: contract janitorial cleaning. The security officers who guard the same buildings and the window cleaners who clean their windows still lack the affordable health insurance that we just won with our new janitors contract.

If the building owners, managers, and contractors thought they had a fight on their hands last year, they haven’t seen anything yet!

Janitors Take ABM to Arbitration Over Health insurance Fraud
ABM dropped the union health insurance plan in June and gave ABM workers a worse plan that violates our new contract. ABM is using the exact same health insurance plan that Harvard employees get for free, but ABM is charging its workers $40 per month! They are just stealing our money! An arbitrator will decide on November 20th if ABM has to pay back all the ABM janitors for the money they took. If you have had a problem with your ABM health insurance bills, tell your steward or call your union organizer at 612 331-8336.

Janitors File Workload Grievances Across City
Janitors at five buildings in Minneapolis have filed grievances over workload in the past few months. We are tired of the companies cutting positions or decreasing our hours and increasing the size of the areas that we must clean. If you have workload problems at your building, call your steward or union organizer at 612 331-8336.

Sexual Harassment Rights
If your supervisor or manager has said or done inappropriate sexual things to you at work, you have the right to protect yourself. Under Federal Law and our union contract, the cleaning companies cannot retaliate against you for reporting sexual harassment. Call your union organizer if you have questions at 612 331-8336.

Religious Holiday
Muslim workers got Marsden to agree to make their best effort to give everyone the day off who wanted to take their floating holiday on Eid (the last day of Ramadan). Haa Wakarna!

Seniority
Nestor at ABM won a full time position after they originally gave it to a supervisor, violating our right to job vacancies by seniority.

Unjust Terminations
Ali from Marsden, Kay of ABM, and Daniel and Arlys from Harvard all won their jobs back after being fired without just cause! 

Weingarten Rights
Juana at ABM had her suspension thrown out because she asked to have a union representative in the room when she was questioned, and the manager refused!  Remember: under Federal Law and our union contract, you have a right to union representation when you are questioned by your supervisor. If they refuse to let you have a steward, then just sit there quietly and don’t say anything, and call the union office after the meeting. 

FMLA
Juana at ABM won her old Full-Time job back after they put her in a Part-Time float position when she came back from her Family Medical Leave. That is a violation of Federal Law and our union contract.

Ameriprise
When ABM recently took over Ameriprise buildings from Harvard, they initially refused to keep the majority of the janitors who had worked there for years. After we flyered the buildings and put pressure on ABM, they agreed to keep most of the janitors, but they have cut everyone’s hours and the workload has increased. We have filed a grievance, and will continue to fight!

Earlier this year, Local 26 janitors won a historic new contract that includes affordable family health insurance for the first time. But just because the contract has been settled doesn't mean that the fight is over. Now we need to enforce our contract by defending our rights at work. Here are a couple of our early victories in defending our contract:

GOVERNMENT CENTERThanks to language in our new contract, the janitors at the Hennepin County Government Center in Downtown Minneapolis kept their jobs, their seniority, vacation, sick days, and all other union benefits when the cleaning contract at the building switched from ABM to Marsden on May 1st.

MIDWEST  PLAZAFor the first time in the history of our union, janitors filed a workload grievance thanks to new contract language that allows us to start an investigation and fight when this kind of abuse happens. After workers at Midwest Plaza in Downtown Minneapolis filed the grievance, we started a conversation with ABM to find a solution. The workers gave suggestions and we made an agreement to find a workload balance, and also to post available overtime before every shift, so the workers can decide if they want to work overtime.

100/150 TOWERSAfter a year of fighting with Contract Cleaners and the 100/150 Towers in Downtown Minneapolis, the janitors there won Full Time jobs, vacation, and health insurance. We admire the strength the workers had to confront the manager after his threats and intimidation; their perseverance was worth it and they now have the  benefits of our union contract.

On Monday, July 9, 2007, this editorial on immigration reform by SEIU Local 26 President Javier Morillo appeared in the Minneapolis Star Tribune: Javier Morillo immigration opinion