Published: December 29, 2007
About 6,700 office cleaners in the
District of Columbia, Montgomery
County and Baltimore have a tentative
new contract, with terms
reached Thursday night.
The four-year deal comes just
days before the old contracts expired
Monday in Montgomery
County and Baltimore, heading off
a threatened strike.“I think it’s a great victory for our
members. … This is a fair agreement,”
said Jaime Contreras, the
Service Employees International
Union Local 32BJ’s capital district
director, who represents the workers.
Gains included wage increases of
at least 24 percent for workers in
all three areas, improved employer-
paid health plans, extra vacation
time and $10,000 life insurance policies,
and employer-paid prescription
drug benefits for all part-time
workers. The estimated total cost
for the wage increases and benefits
is about $100 million, according to
the union. Contractor representatives
attributed the large increase
to a favorable market.
“When the industry's strong, we
try to do a little extra … we felt it
was a time where we could do a little
more than last time, and we did
it,” said Peter Chatilovicz, a Washington
labor lawyer with Seyfarth
Shaw LLP. Chatilovicz negotiated on
behalf of the Washington Services
Contractors Association.
High turnover can be costly, and
the contractors wanted to “give our
employees a reason for sticking with
us,” he said.
In the District, the 4,500 unionized
commercial cleaners received
the most benefits, mainly because
the District has been unionized longer
— since 1997, Contreras said.
The Local 32BJ represents about 85
percent of cleaners in D.C., 75 percent
in Montgomery and 80 percent
in Baltimore.
Market conditions also affected
the contract terms. “D.C. is doing
better [than Montgomery and
Baltimore], and Montgomery is doing
better than Baltimore,” Contreras
said.
The wage increases will start to
take effect in January 2009. By the
end of 2011, part-time wages in the
District will be set at $12.10 an hour,
up from $10.20. About 80 percent of
cleaners in D.C. are considered part
time. Full-time workers will make
$12.60 per hour, up from $10.70.
Wages in Baltimore and Montgomery
County will be slightly lower,
Contreras said.
The Local 32BJ members were to
vote to ratify the contract Saturday;
it is expected to pass.
