Fasting For Fairness and Power

    This came across my desk and is worth noting: a group of janitors is fasting literally on the freeway on-ramp of a strip mall in an all-white, wealthy suburb outside of Boston. It's a five-day, water-only fast to protest alleged sexual misconduct and other charges at  Burlington, Mass.-based Gutierrez Co. Here's what the union sent me:

Surrounded by members of the Burlington community, clergy and other supporters, several janitors began a 5-day fast today over dangerous and poor working conditions in buildings owned by the largest office property owner in Burlington, Gutierrez Company. Two Gutierrez Co. contractors, Foxboro, Mass.-based Resource One and Dallas-based American Housekeeping, are under investigation for violations including indecent assault and battery, sexual harassment, and illegal threats and intimidation against janitors.

"We are doing this not just for working people in Burlington, but everywhere," said Flor Arache, a janitor who says she experienced sexual harassment in a Gutierrez building.  "I am putting myself in God's hands. God will bring us justice."

The first in a team of nurses also reported to the corner of Wall Street and US Rt. 3 today, where they will provide virtual round the clock medical attention for the fasters during this physically demanding act.    Janitors, who are paid wages as low as $9 an hour—and offered no health care, sick days or other paid leave, have repeatedly called on the Gutierrez Co. to hire responsible contractors that follow area wage and benefit standards and respect the law.

Because the Gutierrez Co. continues to stand by while workers and their families struggle with poor working conditions and hostile workplaces, janitors feel they have no choice but to make this tremendous sacrifice. "Burlington needs to hear the voice of reason," said Bedardo Sola, a Harvard University janitor, who is fasting in support of workers at Gutierrez properties.  "Our children are the future of the community, and we need to be able to provide for them."

Comments

[none]

Good to see that you're back, hope your post-primary relaxation was enjoyable, it surely was earned. I'm also happy to see you back to discussing labor.

Good to hear that the justice for janitors campaign has multiple fronts. But you gave us the PR piece, not the insider analysis. I'm curious about how this fits into a bigger strategy. Someone I know who works at SEIU told me that it is targeting shopping malls, but I also know in my area they have gone from their core in downtown office buildings to suburban areas. Is this part of a campaign to get a certain shopping mall chain to use union contractors, or is it part of comprehensive Boston-area campaign to organize workers in suburban buildings? (Or, is it just an isolated campaign at a "hot shop," which makes it relatively unimportant?)

An eye into SEIU strategy is helpful given that it has with relative success figured out how to taken on building owners and cleaning contractors. There must be lessons that we can take to workers in different segmetns of the economy.

[RoscoeRich]

My guess is it is a combination of strategic and hot shop organizing. Depending on the city, SEIU is organizing property service workers at malls, residential, and universities. The U of Miami hunger strike was not planned, but the workers decided they were doing it and SEIU supported them. I know mall janitors organizing is active in Indinapolis and a couple of other places, but I don't know about Mass.

There has been some talk around about SEIU janitors and security merging with UNITE HERE. The multi-services joint organizing is the future of the janitorial and hotel industries.

[Mumford]

The campaign is part of a strategic campaign to organize Boston's suburbs. The larger organizing drive of SEIU Local 615 is focused on getting the Gutierrez Company, Boston's largest suburban property owner, to agree to use only responsible janitorial contractors.

Check out www.seiu615.org for more information (as well as photos and audio clips from the fast).

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