Local 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union has reached four-year tentative collective bargaining agreements covering 18,000 commercial building cleaning services workers from Stamford, Conn., to Washington, D.C., in the past week, completing negotiations for all but one of the cleaning service contracts covering some 50,000 janitors in the Northeast.

The new tentative agreements with employer associations of building owners, operators, and cleaning contractors cover 4,000 workers in Westchester County, N.Y., and Fairfield County, Conn.; 7,000 workers in New Jersey; 4,500 workers in Washington, D.C.; 700 workers in Baltimore; and 1,500 workers in Montgomery County, Md.

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.

 

7,000 New Jersey Commercial Janitors

Under the tentative agreement reached Dec. 27 in New Jersey, office cleaners working in 450 office buildings and facilities would receive hourly wage increases over the contract term ranging from 14 percent to 22 percent. The majority of workers would receive $12 per hour by the end of the term, and employees in Newark and Jersey City would receive $14 per hour, according to the union.
In addition, janitors in those two cities would receive a pension benefit by the end of the contract, the first retirement pay negotiated for New Jersey office cleaners, Local 32BJ said.

The New Jersey tentative contract also would expand the number of full-time jobs and provide increased access to health insurance. By the end of the contract, the approximately 1,500 janitors working in buildings larger than 400,000 square feet would receive fully employer-paid family health care coverage. Part-time workers would have expanded access to prescription drug benefits, dental and optical insurance, and life insurance.

The bargaining committees are recommending that union members vote for approval in the ratification vote Jan. 5 for the New Jersey, Baltimore, Washington, and Montgomery County tentative agreements, said Kate Ferranti, local spokeswoman.

 

7,000 Baltimore, Washington Area Janitors

On Dec. 27, negotiators also reached tentative agreements for about 7,000 commercial janitors in the Baltimore and Washington metropolitan areas that would raise wages, provide employer-paid family prescription drug coverage for all workers, and expand health insurance coverage for full-time employees.
In Baltimore, the more than 700 janitors working at about 40 buildings would receive 28 percent hourly wage increases over the four-year term. Hourly pay under the previous contract that expired Dec. 31 ranged from $7.50 to $10.

The tentative contract would add fully employer-paid prescription drug coverage for part-time workers and add employer-paid dental and vision benefits for full-time workers. All workers would receive up to two weeks of paid vacation leave.

The Montgomery County tentative agreement covering 1,500 cleaners in 150 buildings would increase hourly wages 27 percent over four years and would provide fully employer-paid family prescription drug coverage for all part-time workers. Hourly pay under the previous contract that expired Dec. 31 ranged from $7.50 to $10.50. Cleaners also would receive up to two weeks of paid vacation leave.

Under the tentative contract covering the 4,500 janitors in Washington, workers would receive a 24 percent pay increase over the nearly four-year term. Those workers earn $10.20 to $11 under the current contract that expires April 30. The new tentative contract would become effective Jan. 1 and expire Oct. 15 in 2011 to coincide with the expiration for the Local 32BJ contract in Philadelphia.

Full-time workers in Washington would have lower co-payments for employer-paid health insurance benefits under the tentative contract. Part-time cleaners would receive life insurance and employer-paid family coverage for prescription drugs and dental and vision care.

 

4,000 Westchester, Fairfield County Janitors

The bargaining committee has recommended that union members vote to ratify the tentative master agreement reached Dec. 28 covering 4,000 workers in Fairfield and Westchester counties. The ratification vote will be held in meetings during the week of Jan. 6.

Under the tentative agreement, workers would receive wage increases of 19 percent over the four-year term. In Fairfield County, the hourly pay ranged from $10.50 to $10.75 under the previous agreement that expired Dec. 31. Hourly pay ranged from $10.50 to $11.50 in Westchester County.

The tentative contract would add more full-time jobs in the urban centers of White Plains, N.Y., and Stamford, Conn. Workers in full-time jobs would receive fully employer-paid family health care benefits. By the end of the four-year contract term, part-time janitors working in buildings with more than 400,000 square feet in White Plains, Stamford, and certain other buildings also would receive employer-paid family health care benefits.

The tentative contract would expand health care coverage for part-time workers to include prescription drug benefits and dental and vision insurance, as well as life insurance.

 

Many Part-Time Janitors

Among the 50,000 Northeast commercial janitors represented by Local 32BJ, all of the New York City janitors work full time, most of the workers in Philadelphia and Hartford work full time, and just about half of the Long Island cleaning workers are employed part time.

The remaining contracts cover predominantly part-time workers. In Baltimore, 670 of the cleaners work part time, while 30 employees work full time. In Montgomery County, 1,200 of the 1,500 cleaning employees work part time. In Washington, 3,600 of the 4,500 employees covered under that contract work part time. Only 200 employees work full time under the Fairfield County contract, while 1,750 are part-time employees. In Westchester County, 1,500 of the cleaning workers are employed part time, while 500 have full-time jobs. Under the New Jersey contract, 3,600 of the cleaning employees work part time, and 2,800 work full time.

In October, union members ratified the Local 32BJ contract covering 2,300 commercial building cleaning workers in Philadelphia (200 DLR A-10, 10/17/07  ), and members will vote this month on tentative contracts already reached in December covering 2,000 workers in Hartford, Conn., (246 DLR A-10, 12/24/07  ) and 26,000 workers in New York City (1 DLR A-6, 1/3/08  ).

Representatives for the employer associations were not available for comment.