Published: January 7, 2008

SEIU Members Ratify New Contracts with Mid-Atlantic Cleaning Contractors
Members of Local 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union Jan. 5 voted unanimously to ratify new four-year contracts with employer associations of cleaning contractors covering some 14,000 commercial building janitors in New Jersey and the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area, the union announced Jan. 7.

The contracts negotiated Dec. 27 (2 DLR A-9, 1/4/08) are the latest among various agreements in the Mid-Atlantic region covering some 50,000 employees that increase wages immediately, and expand health care coverage (204 DLR A-13, 10/23/07;246 DLR A-10, 12/24/07;1 DLR A-6, 1/3/08).

In Local 32BJ's Washington-Baltimore area, three contracts cover 4,500 workers in Washington, D.C., 1,500 workers in Montgomery County, Md., and 700 workers in Baltimore who work for cleaning contractors that include Red Coats Inc., UNICCO Service Co., and ABM Industries Inc.

Wages Vary by Location.
In Washington, part-time cleaners' hourly wages will increase each year from the current rate of $9.75, to $10.20 effective immediately, and to $12.10 by 2011. Full-time cleaners' hourly wages will increase from the current rate of $10.25, to $10.70 effective immediately, and to $12.60 by 2011. Day porters now earn $10.55 per hour, and will receive $11 per hour effective immediately and $12.90 per hour by 2011.

Hourly wages for full-time and part-time cleaners in Montgomery County will increase in January and July each year. In 2008, wages will increase 40 cents in January and 20 cents in July. Hourly wages will increase 30 cents in both January and July in each year from 2009 through 2011. Under the previous contract, part-time cleaners' starting hourly rate was $8.50 an hour, the regular part-time pay was $9, and full-time cleaners earned $9.50 per hour. Day porters earned $10.50 per hour under the previous agreement. They will receive a 40 cents per hour wage increase effective immediately and a 30 cents per hour increase Jan. 1, 2009. Their wages will increase 25 cents per hour in January and July in both 2010 and 2011.

Hourly wages for Baltimore cleaners under the previous contract were $7.50 for starting part-time, $8.50 for regular part-time, $9.25 for full-time, and $10 for day porters. Their wages will increase twice each year to $9.90, $10.90, $11.40, and $11.70, respectively, by the contract expiration in 2011.

Set Copayments for Health Benefits.

Full-time cleaners will continue to receive fully employer-paid health care benefits, and the new Washington-Baltimore area contracts enhance coverage. Employees in Washington previously paid 25 percent of health care services beyond doctor office visits, such as inpatient services, maternity care, laboratory services, durable medical equipment, ambulances, and hospice care. Workers under the Montgomery County and Baltimore contracts had paid 30 percent of the charges. Under the new agreements, employees' copayment will be $15 for such benefits, according to a union spokesman.
A new prescription plan will lower charges for generic drugs to $7 from $10 and will introduce a mail order option for maintenance prescriptions.

Workers under the three contracts will receive fully paid family prescription drug benefits beginning in 2009.

Employers in Montgomery County and Washington will continue to contribute 5 cents per hour worked toward employees' training in the first two years of the contract, increasing the amount to 7 cents in 2010 and to 12 cents per hour in 2011. Employers in Baltimore will begin making contributions for training benefits for the first time in 2009.

The new contract also will add one additional week of paid vacation after four years' employment and one additional paid sick day for part-time workers, who had two sick days and one week of vacation under the previous contract.

The three Washington-Baltimore area contracts will expire Oct. 15, 2011.

Pensions for First Time in New Jersey.
The approved contract in New Jersey covers 7,000 cleaning services personnel who work at 450 office buildings and facilities.

Under the previous contract, New Jersey janitors earned hourly wages ranging from $9.75 in Bergen and Mercer counties to $12.50 in Newark. They will receive wage increases in October in each year of the contract, bringing hourly pay by 2011 to a range of $11.50 to $14, depending on location.

Full-time janitors have received employer-paid family health care coverage under the previous contract. By the end of the contract, employer-paid family health care coverage also will be extended to part-time janitors working in buildings larger than 400,000 square feet. About 1,500 janitors work in buildings of that size. All part-time workers will receive family prescription drug benefits, dental and vision insurance, and life insurance under the new contract.

Janitors in Newark and Jersey City will receive pension benefits effective Jan. 1, 2010, the first retirement pay negotiated for New Jersey office cleaners.

Employers will increase payments to the legal and training funds for employees to 19 cents per hour worked, up from 18 cents under the prior agreement.

The new contract provides bumping rights to workers according to seniority into another building in the event of a layoff.

In case of illness or injury, cleaners now can take a leave of absence up to six months, up from four months under the previous contract.

The New Jersey contract expires Dec. 31, 2011.

Representatives for the employer associations were not available for comment.
Contract negotiations are continuing for 1,000 commercial janitors on Long Island, N.Y., whose prior contract expired Dec. 31. Those workers voted Dec. 19 to give their bargaining committee the authorization to call a strike.