Forgotten pandemic heroes could soon leave New York dirtier.
In response to planned contract cutbacks, around twenty thousand members of the Service Employees International Union—which represents custodial and essential cleaners in New York City—will cast their votes on Wednesday to approve a strike.
The workers – whose contracts end on December 31 – will gather at 6th Ave & 50th St. to demand better compensation, better healthcare coverage, and other benefits.
Just a week ago, around 10,000 unionized cleaning employees on Long Island and in New Jersey, the Hudson Valley and Fairfield County, Connecticut had already approved a strike for the same reasons.
“Workers are fighting for wage increases that keep up with the cost of living and to protect life-saving health care benefits and other labor standards that have lifted thousands of NYC working class and immigrant families toward the middle class”, reads a statement emailed by spokesman Simon Davis-Cohen.
On November 9, the 32BJ negotiating committee requested salary increases, pension enhancements, the maintenance of the current high-quality, reasonably priced health insurance, and extended recall rights for laid-off members.
Large commercial office buildings like One Vanderbilt and the World Trade Center are covered by the contract, as well as public spaces and tourist attractions like the Top of the Rock, the Empire State Building Observatory, The Edge at Hudson Yards, and the World Trade Observatory; museums like MoMA; colleges like NYU, Pace, Long Island University, and St. John’s University; transportation hubs like Grand Central, Penn Station, and Port Authority; biotech labs; and more.
