Elizabeth Falcon: On Labor Day, support justice for DC janitors
As unions enjoy approval ratings unseen for more than 50 years, Democratic presidential candidates are unveiling ambitious plans to rebuild the nation’s labor movement that may sound like pie in the sky to some. Yet the 10,000 janitors in the DC area, who clean the very offices where those policies were hatched, are living proof of the transformation that is possible.
Nearly all of DC’s offices are cleaned by unionized janitors, who will kick off contract negotiations just after Labor Day. After a long, tough fight to form a union, this majority-immigrant workforce has been able to more than double their wages and earn many crucial job protections and benefits. The “Justice for Janitors” movement, which has played out on both the local and national stages, is where the rubber hits the road between policy and practice.
In the 1980s, janitors’ wages stagnated and benefits were slipping away. On June 15, 1990, more than 400 janitors in Los Angeles held a peaceful rally after contractors dismantled the union, cut their pay to minimum wage and stripped employees of all benefits. Baton-wielding police officers ended up wounding or arresting 38 marchers that day, and since then June 15 has been memorialized as “Justice for Janitors Day.”
When the main janitorial contractor in L.A. signed a union contract that provided workers a living raise and benefits, it inspired and strengthened the resolve of janitors nationwide. Suddenly, it seemed, janitors everywhere could organize and win contracts to improve their jobs and lives, even when going up against some of the most powerful corporations in the world.
During that same time in DC, janitors made their own history by blocking the Roosevelt Bridge, demanding and winning living wages, employer-paid benefits and respect in the workplace. As the janitors’ union grew in size over the last few decades, so did their influence over local elections and legislation.
Janitors have been at the forefront of pushing for policies that strengthen our communities. Unionized janitors spearheaded the fights for DC’s $15 minimum wage, paid sick and family leave, and sanctuary city status. These landmark pieces of legislation were achieved thanks in no small part to these janitors, who helped create the “Fight for $15” rallying cry and eventually make it a household name. Additionally, by winning legislation to increase access to full-time positions — and employer-paid benefits as a result — janitors have helped to alleviate some of the pressure on DC’s overburdened public health system.
When union janitors improve their jobs, we all benefit from the ripple effects: increased spending on local businesses, lower rates of reliance on public programs and an increase in tax revenue. Janitors are narrowing DC’s shamefully wide income gap and rebuilding our disappearing middle class by fighting for the wages and benefits that will lift them out of poverty.
DC has the nation’s strongest intensity of gentrification, and as #DontMuteDC aims to remind transplants about DC’s roots and protect its culture, Labor Day is an opportunity to support an invisible workforce who helped achieve many benefits and protections DC residents have come to rely upon. Janitors’ efforts continue to pay dividends by helping to lift the tide for all low-wage workers who would otherwise be faring much worse in such an expensive region.
DC janitors clean some of the most costly real estate in the nation. The best way to show your support is by encouraging your office building owner to support janitors in their fight for a fair contract.
Elizabeth Falcon is executive director of DC Jobs With Justice.
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