Published: December 17, 2009

WILMINGTON, DE — Nearly 800 Wilmington area office cleaners are set to receive increases in pay and employer-paid health care coverage after their union and several building service contractors (BSCs) reached a deal, according to the News Journal.

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 32BJ negotiated a contract with: ABM Janitorial Services; Shellville Services; Arthur Jackson Company; Shamrock Building Services; Bravo Building Services; ISS Facility Services Inc.; and CSI International Inc., the story stated.

According to the story, the deal follows a months-long campaign by the union to organize local janitors that included several protests in downtown Wilmington.

Under the two-year contract, office cleaners will earn a minimum wage of $8 per hour or receive a raise of at least 40 cents per hour, with average hourly wages increasing as much as $2 over the life of the contract, the story noted.

Mike Fishman, president of the SEIU Local 32BJ, said: "What's striking is that the men and women who clean the very banks that prompted this economic crisis have successfully fought for higher wages."

The new contract will go into effect in January for workers in Wilmington and the following January for workers in New Castle County, the story added.