Published: December 18, 2009

Building cleaners at Wilmington's big credit card banks have approved what their unions says is their first labor contract in recent memory, in an acclamation vote Tuesday at a Wilmington church.

About 800 workers for ABM Industries Inc. and at least four other contractors who maintain office complexes for Bank of America Corp., JPMorgan Chase & Co., PNC Bank, and ING Direct, among others, are covered by the contract, which sets a minimum wage of $8 an hour, increasing to $9.25 at the end of two years, and includes health benefits for full-time workers, SEIU Local BJ32 spokesman Eugenio Villasante told me.

Workers at nonunion contractors that clean two Wilmington-based companies, DuPont Co. and Wilmington Trust Co., aren't covered. ABM spokesman Tony Mitchell said the company didn't comment on contract terms.