Denver janitors have come to a tentative agreement with city cleaning companies, averting a strike.
On Tuesday, janitorial workers part of Service Employees International Union Local 105 voted to authorize a strike if a deal was not reached by Sunday. The union said janitors are underpaid and overworked, and face retaliation if workers do not finish unrealistic workloads.
The union reached a tentative agreement with city cleaning companies on Saturday, which they say makes Denver one of the highest-paying cities for janitors in the country.
Terms of the agreement include wage increases of 16 to 18 percent, guaranteed paid sick leave and increased investment in a fund for employee education.
“This contract will put us on a path to livable wages and raises the bar for our industry across the country,” janitorial worker Verónica Escobedo said in a statement. “Through the power of our union, we stayed united and made our jobs better. This is a massive victory. We’re glad we avoided having to go on strike, and we’re ready to keep working every day to keep our communities clean and safe.”
The new contract covers 2,400 janitors working in over 1,500 buildings across the metro area. Janitors will vote to ratify the contract next week.
