WOODLAND HILLS : Janitors Protest Low Wages, No Benefits
Janitors from across the county will gather at noon today at Warner Ranch Park in Woodland Hills for a march supporting their Valley counterparts, who organizers say are among the lowest paid in the Los Angeles area.
At Warner Center and other San Fernando Valley businesses, workers receive minimum wage and no health benefits, while others in Century City and Downtown Los Angeles make as much as $6.80 an hour, said Maureen Marr, spokeswoman for Justice for Janitors of Local 399, Service Employees International Union.
The Valley workers also do not receive medical benefits for their family, Marr said.
“We will ask that all janitors get the better benefits,” she said. “We just want parity.”
About 100 union members are expected at the march, which begins at the intersection of Califa Street and Owensmouth Avenue.
On Wednesday, the union will enter contract negotiations with International Services Systems, the nation’s largest janitorial service, Marr said.
“Many other corporations can afford those benefits, so can Warner Center,” she said.
The janitors’ current contract expires March 31.
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