Union gives strike go ahead

A strike authorized by thousands of Orange County janitors this weekend received broader support Monday when the executive committee of the Orange County Labor Federation cast a unanimous vote in support of the potential walkout.

While the negotiations between representatives of various contractors and the Service Employees International Union continued Monday, the decision means the federation’s 140,000 members — including sanitation workers, operating engineers, UPS delivery drivers and several others — will not cross any picket lines established by the janitors in the event of a walkout.

The votes don’t necessarily mean a strike will occur, but the support authorizes union leadership to declare one in the course of contract negotiations, union spokeswoman Gina Bowers said.

Dick Davis, the bargaining coordinator for Orange County janitorial contractors, said his clients are ready to employ non-union labor to ease the burden.

“They will always bring in, or attempt to bring in, their scab labor, but in our experience, they never get the buildings clean to the level that our workers can,” said union President Michael Garcia. “They may go through and empty the trash, but buildings get dirty and are not maintained to the professional level they pay for in tenant agreements. In 2000, when the janitors struck in Los Angeles, scabs were used and the buildings were still filthy, with garbage everywhere.

“That’s not what tenants pay some of the highest rent in the country for,” he said.

Davis said the possibility of a strike “doesn’t scare him,” and he added he “of course” sympathized with the plight of low-income earners.

The only problem, he said, is making sure the janitors are realistic about what can be achieved in a deflating economy.

“It’s always difficult to negotiate for low-paid workers, because the obvious answer is of course they don’t make enough money,” he said. “Now, how do you deal with that in the realities of the world?”

Janitors receive full family healthcare and welfare benefits paid by the company, and management is offering a gradual $3,000 raise over the next five years with unspecified improvements in holiday, sick and vacation days, Davis said.

The proposal offered by the union — which he characterized as a raise of about $6,000 over four years — was untenable, Davis said. Bowers declined to verify the nature of the union’s proposals, saying it could potentially undermine their negotiations.

“[Ours] isn’t a rinky-dink plan,” Davis said.

Union officials point to the janitor’s low wages — $8.65 an hour, among the lowest of their unionized colleagues — and note the cost of living in Orange County is among the highest in the nation.

“Orange County is a very expensive place to live for anyone, but you can imagine the struggles of the working poor, making $17,000 to $18,000 a year,” Garcia said.

“It’s an incredible struggle for them, and they are just maxed out just trying to provide for minimal survival expenses… they have taken an aggressive, but necessary, action here.”

Bowers declined to give the union’s planned date for a walkout, but indicated one had already been established.

“We don’t announce the date of the strike in advance. I think the element of surprise works best for us,” she said. “But it is coming soon.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

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CHRIS CAESAR may be reached at (714) 966-4626 or at [email protected].