Justice for Janitors Blog
The Battle for Houston!
Houston, TX - Wednesday, November 15th.
To shouts of "Si se puede!" and "No justice! No Peace!" 14 supporters of the striking janitors were arrested after they handcuffed themselves together, sat down and blocked a doorway to the Chevron building in downtown Houston. The protesters were surrounded by trash bags while other supporters taped up signs on the glass windows and on the revolving door they were blocking while a crowd of 300-400 looked on, screaming, cheering and chanting. The signs said" Chevron: What would you do with $14 billion? Support health care for janitors!" The 14$ billion was a reference to Chevron's reported profits last year.
Many of the arrested were SEIU members from other cities including, San Diego, Cleveland, Chicago and New York.
The action was pulled off with few glitches as the crowd of 300-400 firs tmarched around to the other side of the Chevron building to create a diversion while the 14 quickly set up, handcuffed themsleves and positioned themselves acroos the entrance to a set of revolving glass doors. Security inside the building was unable to stop them.
Chevron's building is contracted to be cleaned by one of the companies the janitors' union is on strike against. The protest targeted Chevron becaused they refuse to intervene in the dispute, claiming that the low pay and lack of benefits is an issue between the union and the cleaning companies. This, despite the fact that Chevron is a large and very influential corporation in Houston and, if they took a principled stand they could help resolve the strike which is now in it's fourth week.
The 14 should be released on bond by tommorow morning. More cicil disobedience will folow this week...
To shouts of "Si se puede!" and "No justice! No Peace!" 14 supporters of the striking janitors were arrested after they handcuffed themselves together, sat down and blocked a doorway to the Chevron building in downtown Houston. The protesters were surrounded by trash bags while other supporters taped up signs on the glass windows and on the revolving door they were blocking while a crowd of 300-400 looked on, screaming, cheering and chanting. The signs said" Chevron: What would you do with $14 billion? Support health care for janitors!" The 14$ billion was a reference to Chevron's reported profits last year.
Many of the arrested were SEIU members from other cities including, San Diego, Cleveland, Chicago and New York.
The action was pulled off with few glitches as the crowd of 300-400 firs tmarched around to the other side of the Chevron building to create a diversion while the 14 quickly set up, handcuffed themsleves and positioned themselves acroos the entrance to a set of revolving glass doors. Security inside the building was unable to stop them.
Chevron's building is contracted to be cleaned by one of the companies the janitors' union is on strike against. The protest targeted Chevron becaused they refuse to intervene in the dispute, claiming that the low pay and lack of benefits is an issue between the union and the cleaning companies. This, despite the fact that Chevron is a large and very influential corporation in Houston and, if they took a principled stand they could help resolve the strike which is now in it's fourth week.
The 14 should be released on bond by tommorow morning. More cicil disobedience will folow this week...
On Thursday, November 2nd 12 Justice for Janitors supporters handcuffed ourselves to garbage cans then sat down and blocked The interesectio nof Post Oak and Westheimer for over an hour.
The action was done in an effort to escalate the campaign amd draw further attention to the janitors plight. The Galleria section of Houston where the action occurred is also where a large real estate industry conference was taking place that morning. We also expected to catch some of the conference attendees in the traffic tie-up as they left the conference. Earlier in the morning we had disrupted the event to express our displeasure at property managers' refusal to take any responsibility for the janitors' poverty level wages and lack of benefits. Most building owners and property managers have remained silent or commented to the press that the strike is "an issue for the union and the cleaning companies to resolve." This lack of responsibility is shameful and needs to be called attention to.
The disruption of the galleria went off smoothly - we were tight for once this week! - we pulled up in a windowless rental truck and at 1:30pm the back door flew open and 12 of us jumped out and rushed into the intersection, garbage cans already handcuffed to our wrists, shouts of "GO! GO!" in our ears. The intersectio nwas already crowded with janitors and supporters on all four corners. The chants were loud, drums were pounding, whistles blowing - noise, adrenaline, screaming voices, honking car horns - it was all surreal!
The media showed up in full force - all local tv networks, CNN, newspapers including the NY Times. 5 helicopters circled overhead. We did interviews as we sat in the street. "Why are you doing this?" . .
Some angry drivers, frustrated at not being able to move began honking more aggressively and then two or three cars started easing through the crowd. We watched in amazement as these selfish, angry individuals endangered bystanders and protesters' lives alike by pushing forward, despite the fact that as many as 8-10 people were pushing back against the car, yelling for the drivers to stop!
The police arrived in full force. They surveyed the scene, conferenced with each other. We were each told by a police Captain that we were breaking the lawe by "obstructing a roadway" and would be subjec to arrest if we did not move.
The Fire Dept. arrived and began cutting off our cuffs. One by one we were handcuffed, marched backward and loaded into a paddy wagon. The crowds cheered and chanted even louder. It was an amazing experience, hopefully, it will help move the campaign forward even more.
Off to jail we went with a two police car escort. Paperwork was done at one jail, then the men were hauled downtown to the City jail for booking. The paperwork is what kills you - hours and hours of waiting, moving ,waiting, moving again. We spent 17 hours in jail before we were finally bailed out at 10:30 the next morning. A camera crew was waiting for us outside in the bright sunshine.
More civil disobedience to follow . . .
The action was done in an effort to escalate the campaign amd draw further attention to the janitors plight. The Galleria section of Houston where the action occurred is also where a large real estate industry conference was taking place that morning. We also expected to catch some of the conference attendees in the traffic tie-up as they left the conference. Earlier in the morning we had disrupted the event to express our displeasure at property managers' refusal to take any responsibility for the janitors' poverty level wages and lack of benefits. Most building owners and property managers have remained silent or commented to the press that the strike is "an issue for the union and the cleaning companies to resolve." This lack of responsibility is shameful and needs to be called attention to.
The disruption of the galleria went off smoothly - we were tight for once this week! - we pulled up in a windowless rental truck and at 1:30pm the back door flew open and 12 of us jumped out and rushed into the intersection, garbage cans already handcuffed to our wrists, shouts of "GO! GO!" in our ears. The intersectio nwas already crowded with janitors and supporters on all four corners. The chants were loud, drums were pounding, whistles blowing - noise, adrenaline, screaming voices, honking car horns - it was all surreal!
The media showed up in full force - all local tv networks, CNN, newspapers including the NY Times. 5 helicopters circled overhead. We did interviews as we sat in the street. "Why are you doing this?" . .
Some angry drivers, frustrated at not being able to move began honking more aggressively and then two or three cars started easing through the crowd. We watched in amazement as these selfish, angry individuals endangered bystanders and protesters' lives alike by pushing forward, despite the fact that as many as 8-10 people were pushing back against the car, yelling for the drivers to stop!
The police arrived in full force. They surveyed the scene, conferenced with each other. We were each told by a police Captain that we were breaking the lawe by "obstructing a roadway" and would be subjec to arrest if we did not move.
The Fire Dept. arrived and began cutting off our cuffs. One by one we were handcuffed, marched backward and loaded into a paddy wagon. The crowds cheered and chanted even louder. It was an amazing experience, hopefully, it will help move the campaign forward even more.
Off to jail we went with a two police car escort. Paperwork was done at one jail, then the men were hauled downtown to the City jail for booking. The paperwork is what kills you - hours and hours of waiting, moving ,waiting, moving again. We spent 17 hours in jail before we were finally bailed out at 10:30 the next morning. A camera crew was waiting for us outside in the bright sunshine.
More civil disobedience to follow . . .
Wearing masks resembling Gerald Hines' face, janitors and their children went treak or treating in downtown Houston.
Hines, the President of Hines International, is one of the largest property owners in downtown Houston. We are targeting many of his buildings because he has failed to ask his cleaning contractors to resepct the janitors by offering them a fair contract.
Security officers did ask us to leave the tunnel system connecting many downtown office buildings. I'm not sure if it was our Gerald Hines masks or our trick or treat jack o' lanterns that frightened them more.
A special mass was held in the janitors honor Monday night at Our Lady of Guagalupe. It was a peaceful, respectful moment in the campaign, a sharp contrast to the noise, chanting, police sirens and general intensity surrounding the strike.
Hines, the President of Hines International, is one of the largest property owners in downtown Houston. We are targeting many of his buildings because he has failed to ask his cleaning contractors to resepct the janitors by offering them a fair contract.
Security officers did ask us to leave the tunnel system connecting many downtown office buildings. I'm not sure if it was our Gerald Hines masks or our trick or treat jack o' lanterns that frightened them more.
A special mass was held in the janitors honor Monday night at Our Lady of Guagalupe. It was a peaceful, respectful moment in the campaign, a sharp contrast to the noise, chanting, police sirens and general intensity surrounding the strike.
Saturday, October 28th - Houston.
Approx. 500 people rallied in a park near the Galleria section of Houston in support of striking janitors. After hearing inspirational folk songs in Spanish and listening to testimonials from community activists speakers we marched a mile or two towards Williams Tower with the police shutting down several busy intersections near the Galleria Mall. The inconvenience was necessary to underscore the urgency of our struggle to obtain a contract for the janitors,most of whom make only $5.15 an hour with no health insurance benefits.
We were organized, loud and orderly as many passers by watched in wonder and some confusion. We tried to make our message clear by giving leaflets to motorists stopped at lights. Most took them as they could not move. We got some honks and thumbs up, but a few folks made obscene gestures.
Media coverage continues to be excellent: We had all the major networks covering and I managed to catch the 3-4 minute segment that Channel 39 in Houstion gave us on their 7:00pm broadcast.
Food banks will be set up on four corners in downtown Houston Monday for supporters who wish to donate items to teh janitors struggle.
Approx. 500 people rallied in a park near the Galleria section of Houston in support of striking janitors. After hearing inspirational folk songs in Spanish and listening to testimonials from community activists speakers we marched a mile or two towards Williams Tower with the police shutting down several busy intersections near the Galleria Mall. The inconvenience was necessary to underscore the urgency of our struggle to obtain a contract for the janitors,most of whom make only $5.15 an hour with no health insurance benefits.
We were organized, loud and orderly as many passers by watched in wonder and some confusion. We tried to make our message clear by giving leaflets to motorists stopped at lights. Most took them as they could not move. We got some honks and thumbs up, but a few folks made obscene gestures.
Media coverage continues to be excellent: We had all the major networks covering and I managed to catch the 3-4 minute segment that Channel 39 in Houstion gave us on their 7:00pm broadcast.
Food banks will be set up on four corners in downtown Houston Monday for supporters who wish to donate items to teh janitors struggle.
The first week of the strike.
Picket lines are set.
Monday we all took our positions outside the downtown buildings targeted to be pulled for the strike. Police presence was heavy - security guards and sheriff's deputies were posted at entrances and parking garages. It was organized chaos. We had vans circling the city prepared to pick up strikers and take them to 1100 Lousiana Ave - ground zero for our rally starting point.
I got into it with a sheriff outside the Penzoil building. One of the janitors tried to cross the picket line and two of our organizers approached her to convince her not to go to work. She tried to maneuver around them and the sheriff walked away from the building's private space onto the sidewalk to try and assist her. I ran over and "ran interference" by getting in between him and the staff. I didn't put my hands on him but my body was pressed against his inthe crush. Unfortunately, the worker got into the building. After the smoke cleared he pointed at me and told me bluntly that the next time i touched him he would "put the cuffs on me" and haul me to jail. I promised him i wouldn't tough him again.
Success! - We pulled 500 janitos out that night and marched to Tranquility Park past rows of police some on horseback, others on foot. Houston had never seen anything like it before.
Day 2 - Banner drops over several freeway interchanges at 6:00am "Justice for Janitors - Why not Houston?"
Today we had 1000 janitors as we added more buildings!
Day 3 - marched to a downtown pavilion instead of Tranquility Park. We still haven't solved the bathroom issue - the city wants $5000 for porta potty permit and all park bathrooms remained locked. Our temporary solution is to have 2 vans circle around and take small groups to restaurants for bathroom breaks.
Day 4 - RAIN! We renetd the huge basement of the downtown Hyatt and 800 showed up. There were benefits to not being able to march in the monsoon-like rains: it was easier to go over plans/strategy inside with a sound system and closed room. The Hyatt, however, was not pleased as we exceeded our estimate of 500 for the room. It was great to watch them file in through the fancy lobby of the hotel as shocked, mostly white, patrons looked up from their $10.00 martinis and meals in confusion and concern. Comments were overheard: "What is all this?" "Who are they?"
Friday - Another poor weather day as 60 mile an hour winds swept through downtown. It was hard to hear and harder to hold onto flyers and picket signs. We had our solid core of 600-800.
Congressman John Lewis - a veteran of the civil rights movement - marched at the head of our group. It is heartening to see African-American leaders "getting it" and supporting our fight.
More trainings in Tranquility Park. We are getting tighter.
Houston - your quiet, normally "well-behaved" cheap brown labor is speaking up, organizing and marching. Things will never be the same again in Texas.
Picket lines are set.
Monday we all took our positions outside the downtown buildings targeted to be pulled for the strike. Police presence was heavy - security guards and sheriff's deputies were posted at entrances and parking garages. It was organized chaos. We had vans circling the city prepared to pick up strikers and take them to 1100 Lousiana Ave - ground zero for our rally starting point.
I got into it with a sheriff outside the Penzoil building. One of the janitors tried to cross the picket line and two of our organizers approached her to convince her not to go to work. She tried to maneuver around them and the sheriff walked away from the building's private space onto the sidewalk to try and assist her. I ran over and "ran interference" by getting in between him and the staff. I didn't put my hands on him but my body was pressed against his inthe crush. Unfortunately, the worker got into the building. After the smoke cleared he pointed at me and told me bluntly that the next time i touched him he would "put the cuffs on me" and haul me to jail. I promised him i wouldn't tough him again.
Success! - We pulled 500 janitos out that night and marched to Tranquility Park past rows of police some on horseback, others on foot. Houston had never seen anything like it before.
Day 2 - Banner drops over several freeway interchanges at 6:00am "Justice for Janitors - Why not Houston?"
Today we had 1000 janitors as we added more buildings!
Day 3 - marched to a downtown pavilion instead of Tranquility Park. We still haven't solved the bathroom issue - the city wants $5000 for porta potty permit and all park bathrooms remained locked. Our temporary solution is to have 2 vans circle around and take small groups to restaurants for bathroom breaks.
Day 4 - RAIN! We renetd the huge basement of the downtown Hyatt and 800 showed up. There were benefits to not being able to march in the monsoon-like rains: it was easier to go over plans/strategy inside with a sound system and closed room. The Hyatt, however, was not pleased as we exceeded our estimate of 500 for the room. It was great to watch them file in through the fancy lobby of the hotel as shocked, mostly white, patrons looked up from their $10.00 martinis and meals in confusion and concern. Comments were overheard: "What is all this?" "Who are they?"
Friday - Another poor weather day as 60 mile an hour winds swept through downtown. It was hard to hear and harder to hold onto flyers and picket signs. We had our solid core of 600-800.
Congressman John Lewis - a veteran of the civil rights movement - marched at the head of our group. It is heartening to see African-American leaders "getting it" and supporting our fight.
More trainings in Tranquility Park. We are getting tighter.
Houston - your quiet, normally "well-behaved" cheap brown labor is speaking up, organizing and marching. Things will never be the same again in Texas.
Houston -
We had a large march today - 300? - good press coverage. we did a "mock" strike run by going to eac hbuilding and asking workers to head to the rally before going to work. We filled a few vans, the rest walked over. 300 is more than usual but still not enough!
Monday we start the STRIKE! HUELGA!!
WE are concerned about worker response. Will they walk out?
The fear seems to be not so much about losing their jobs but about immigration/documentation issues..not suprising.
We have hit the Chevron HQ hard all week...
Monday will be very interesting..stay tuned
Dave
We had a large march today - 300? - good press coverage. we did a "mock" strike run by going to eac hbuilding and asking workers to head to the rally before going to work. We filled a few vans, the rest walked over. 300 is more than usual but still not enough!
Monday we start the STRIKE! HUELGA!!
WE are concerned about worker response. Will they walk out?
The fear seems to be not so much about losing their jobs but about immigration/documentation issues..not suprising.
We have hit the Chevron HQ hard all week...
Monday will be very interesting..stay tuned
Dave
Negotiations continued on Tuesday, October 17th. We were prepared to respond to serious offers from the "Big Five" cleaning companies: ABM, Sanitors, Pritchard, GCS, and One Source, but they arrived with absolutley NOTHING! Negotiations that ended where they have started- janitors at $5.15 an hour with no health benefits, no vacations, no full-time hours.
There are no further negotiations scheduled.
We have continued daily street actions including marches in downtown Houston, leafletting buildings, house vists, phone banking and community outreach. Many tenants tha twe talk to in the buildings seem supportive, after all, our message, our goal is clear and easy to support. Most people think $5.15 an hour is unfair.
We have targeted Chevron's headquarters (the old Enron building) for some very specific daily actions. The Chevron building has three large pink breast cancer awareness ribbons attached to the front of their building. We find this both offensive and ironic as one of the key janitor leaders - Ercilia - has advanced breast cancer, not diagnosed because she has no insurance and couldn't afford to go to a doctor. Yet Chevron - and all of the building owners - continue to try and dodge any responsibility for the janitors' struggle. They claim we should take our fight directlt to the cleaning companies, that Chevron, Exxon, et. al merely CONTRACT out for the cleaning. This is a cowardly and specious argument! Chevron shares reponsibility to help come up with solutions when the janitors who clean their bulding have no insurance.
We have leafletted Chevron and chained up a member in front of the building (on public space, but this may change as things escalate)
Tommorow we continue the struggle - get ready for something BIG on Monday!
The message is concise: We are prepared to go on strike next week! I will update the blog as the strike occurs
The struggle to obtain a union contract for 5,000 janitors who clean Houston office buildings continues.
The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is in currently in negotiations with the five major companies who clean commercial office buildings in Houston.
In the fall of 2005 when the janitors finally won recognition of their union a wave of excitment seemed to be spreading among the janitors and, particularly, in the Latino immigrant community.
The janitors, most of whom are recent immigrants to the United States, are rarely offered more than part-time hours at low wages - $5.15 an hour without access to affordable health care benefits. Many of the janitors work two or sometimes three part-time jobs to provide for their families. The lack of health insurance for these and many other workers in the State of Texas is particularly troubling beyond a purely moral argument, it's also an economic issue: health care for uninsured workers is often provided through state-run taxpayer programs.
As great and groundbreaking as the organizing victory was - no major union, other than public employees, had succesfully won an organizing campaign in Texas in decades - it was only the begining of a long process to get that first contract.
The building owners are trying to hide from the struggle, leaving the cleaning companies to try and justify not paying higher wages nor providing full-time jobs with health benefits. The reality, however, is that the office cleaning market is driven by the Chevrons and Shells, who own and often manage their own buildings. The cost to these billion dollar "profiteers" to provide higher, family-supporting wages and health care is minimal in terms of their yearly record profit levels.
The building owners will pay whatever the "market" demands. We need to make sure those market standards are higher, high enough to allow janitors to support familes and have basic health care.
The reaction of the cleaning companies, not suprisingly, is to push back and insist the wages and benefits asked for are too high.
We cannot allow the corporate community in Houston to duck away from this fight. The janitors have been bravely telling their story to the Houston community. Ercilia is a mother of two who was recently diagnosed with cancer. She has been a janitor for several years and has never had health insurance benefits. She couldn't afford to go to the doctor for routine check-ups and the cancer wasn't found until it had spread. She has told her two young daughters that she might not live to see the struggle for a union contract all the way to success.
I will arrive in Houston Monday afternoon to particpate firsthand in the campaign. Things are likely to escalate.
The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is in currently in negotiations with the five major companies who clean commercial office buildings in Houston.
In the fall of 2005 when the janitors finally won recognition of their union a wave of excitment seemed to be spreading among the janitors and, particularly, in the Latino immigrant community.
The janitors, most of whom are recent immigrants to the United States, are rarely offered more than part-time hours at low wages - $5.15 an hour without access to affordable health care benefits. Many of the janitors work two or sometimes three part-time jobs to provide for their families. The lack of health insurance for these and many other workers in the State of Texas is particularly troubling beyond a purely moral argument, it's also an economic issue: health care for uninsured workers is often provided through state-run taxpayer programs.
As great and groundbreaking as the organizing victory was - no major union, other than public employees, had succesfully won an organizing campaign in Texas in decades - it was only the begining of a long process to get that first contract.
The building owners are trying to hide from the struggle, leaving the cleaning companies to try and justify not paying higher wages nor providing full-time jobs with health benefits. The reality, however, is that the office cleaning market is driven by the Chevrons and Shells, who own and often manage their own buildings. The cost to these billion dollar "profiteers" to provide higher, family-supporting wages and health care is minimal in terms of their yearly record profit levels.
The building owners will pay whatever the "market" demands. We need to make sure those market standards are higher, high enough to allow janitors to support familes and have basic health care.
The reaction of the cleaning companies, not suprisingly, is to push back and insist the wages and benefits asked for are too high.
We cannot allow the corporate community in Houston to duck away from this fight. The janitors have been bravely telling their story to the Houston community. Ercilia is a mother of two who was recently diagnosed with cancer. She has been a janitor for several years and has never had health insurance benefits. She couldn't afford to go to the doctor for routine check-ups and the cancer wasn't found until it had spread. She has told her two young daughters that she might not live to see the struggle for a union contract all the way to success.
I will arrive in Houston Monday afternoon to particpate firsthand in the campaign. Things are likely to escalate.
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