Window Cleaners Win New Contract
Just two days after 46 of 48 Window Cleaner members of Local 26 authorized their bargaining team to call a strike, they reached settlement on a new two-year contract with their employers – Columbia, Marsden, and MSI – and it was unanimously ratified on Monday, April 28.
The agreement, which will make single and family health insurance more affordable and could raise wages by as much as $1.90 per hour by next January, includes the following:
Wages: An immediate raise for Journeymen with another guaranteed raise on January 1, 2009, with the possibility of further raises at that time if our union organizes non-union companies. Journeyman wages could potentially rise by as much as $1.90 over the next 8 months! The contract also defines pay levels for snow removal work.
Health Insurance: the employee cost of single coverage will drop to $25 per month on July 1st from as much as $210 currently. Family coverage will drop to $400 per month from as much as $600 currently. With these changes, the employer contribution will increase from $260 per month to as much as $500 per month for health insurance.
Pension: the employer's hourly pension contribution will increase
Sick days increased to 1 after 3 years seniority and 2 after 5 years.
Increases in disability pay and Life Insurance
New contract language on safety, stronger seniority language, the right to take leaves of absence for union work, and a process to bring non-union subcontractors into our union over the life of the contract.
When Security Officers went on strike in February, Window Cleaners in our union honored their picket lines by refusing to work in those buildings, and many lost pay for their solidarity. So when the Window Cleaners voted to authorize their own strike, the companies knew we were serious!
Congratulations to all of the Local 26 Window Cleaners!
Window Cleaners Prepare for Contract Campaign
Over 40 SEIU Local 26 Window Cleaners, who clean the overwhelming majority of buildings in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, begin contract negotiations on Thursday, February 28 for their next contract.
Window Cleaners at MGS march for Respect
At MGS Window Cleaning, workers start 3 dollars below the rate of union window cleaning companies, they have no health insurance or pension, and have reported constant paycheck and overtime violations. They are told to work in unsafe conditions, and as a result one worker actually fell 8 feet from three stories up! On Tuesday, June 19, after years of being ignored, a majority of workers presented cards to the company demanding a union! Later that week, 8 clergy came and asked MGS for justice for the workers. Now window cleaners across the twin Cities are getting ready to fight and make MGS an example of what happens when you don’t respect your workers!
Security Officers, Window Cleaners, and Janitors Launch Joint Organizing Campaign
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!
Security Officers and Window Cleaners Kick Off 2007 Contract Campaign
Bargaining Teams Elected, Contract Goals Ratified
On Saturday, November 10th, over 130 Security Officers, Window Cleaners, and
community supporters packed into a union meeting to kick off our 2007 Contract
Campaign. The Security Officers and Window Cleaners of our union, SEIU Local 26, elected their
bargaining teams and voted unanimously to ratify their contract goals for
upcoming negotiations.
Our security officers' bargaining team will represent officers from contractors
in both Minneapolis / St. Paul and the suburbs, including: ABM, Allied
Barton, American, Avalon, Securitas,
and Viking. The window cleaners' bargaining team will represent cleaners from contractors Columbia, Marsden, and MSI. We come to the
bargaining table in a spirit of collaborative problem-solving to seek win-win
solutions to workplace issues. As always, providing quality service is a
paramount concern to all parties.
Our contract goals reflect national standards for all
property service workers to raise standards in our industry. Twin Cities
officers now join thousands of security officers in San
Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago and Washington, DC
in bargaining for these standards across the country, and janitors here in the
Twin Cities made significant progress towards them last year. They include:
·
Affordable
Healthcare for Ourselves and Our Families
·
Income that Can
Support our Families
·
Improved Training
and Safety
Achieving these goals will be a win-win result for all
involved by helping to reduce turnover and increase the quality of service as a
result, leading to greater tenant satisfaction.
MGS Breaks the Law; Window Cleaners Turn Up the Heat
For months, window cleaners at MGS have been fighting to join our union to address problems with their employer and ensure that all area window cleaners can move forward together.
After voting to join in June, window cleaners from MGS filed charges against MGS for intimidation and harrassment over their union activity.
Earlier this month, the National Labor Relations Board found merit on those charges, and MGS was found guilty.
As a result of these charges, and MGS’ history of undercutting market standards
for safety and compensation, several buildings have decided to put their window
cleaning work out for new bids from other companies.
Local 26 Members March for Healthcare!
Hundreds and hundreds of Security
Officers, Window Cleaners, Janitors, and other allies gathered at City Hall on Tuesday, December 4th to stand up for access to
affordable health care for all working Minnesotans. Welcomed by Mayor R.T.
Rybak, the healthcare advocates held a march through the Minneapolis
skyways.
“All working families in Minnesota deserve access
to affordable family healthcare,”
said Rybak. “No parent should have to choose between paying the bills
and taking her child to the doctor. It is time for companies operating in this
state to make a serious commitment to the health of Minnesota families and
provide comprehensive, affordable coverage to all of their
employees.”
Personal testimony from working
Minnesotans about their struggles with healthcare, including Securitas Security
Officer Billie Edmonds, was followed by a procession through the downtown
skyways to the offices of some of the Twin Cities’ largest real estate and
business owners. Security Officers left piles of flowers as a reminder that
these companies have a responsibility to all working families in Minnesota.
“I am a single mother of one and a
college student,” said Edmonds. “I cannot afford the $580 per month
for family health insurance that my company offers, and I have been rejected
twice from MinnesotaCare. It hurts me personally, and it hurts the 70% of us
that report having no health insurance for our families. We deserve better, and
that is why I am standing up with nearly a thousand Security Officers in the
Twin Cities to negotiate a contract that gives our families access to affordable
healthcare.”
Fidel Sanchez-Flores Family Memorial Fund
SEIU Local 26 members honor our union brother, Fidel Sanchez-Flores, who died tragically on the job on Wednesday, December 5th.
A brief memorial was held with Fidel's family before our member meeting on Saturday, December 8th.
A memorial fund has been established for monetary donations.
If you wish to help Fidel’s family, please send checks to:
Family of Fidel Sanchez-Flores Memorial Fund
Union Bank & Trust
312 Central Avenue
Minneapolis
Click here for more coverage from Workday Minnesota.
Download Our Contract!
2008-2009 Window Cleaners Contract 
2008-2009 Window Cleaners contract (pdf - 56kb)
This PDF is formatted for standard letter size paper.
Smaller printed contract booklets are also available from the union office.