New England Janitors Reach Tentative Agreement that Includes Major Gains for Workers on Full Time, Wages and Healthcare

Oct 01, 2012 - In a breakthrough that will improve the lives of 14,000 New England janitors, Service Employees International Union Local 615 and the Maintenance Contractors of New England reached a tentative agreement for a four-year contract that will provide significant gains for workers around hours, wages, healthcare, workload and job security. Janitors still need to ratify the contract. Read more...

BREAKING: Hundreds of Houston Janitors Go On Strike

Jul 11, 2012 - Workers Report Potential Stripping of Healthcare Benefits and Other Misconduct as Harassment From Employers After Standing Up For Living Wage IMPORTANT UPDATES: • Hundreds of Houston janitors, the majority of whom make less than $9,000 annually - walked off the... Read more...

SEIU and Sodexo Reach Amicable Settlement

Sep 15, 2011 - The 2.1 million member Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and Sodexo, the world's 21st largest employer, have reached an amicable settlement of their differences. Under this settlement, SEIU and Sodexo have affirmed their mutual commitment to the rights of Sodexo employees to make free and informed choices about unionization. Read more...

SEIU Elects Mary Kay Henry to Lead 2.2 Million Member Union

May 08, 2010 - The 73-member International Executive Board (IEB) of SEIU met in Washington DC on Saturday, May 8th to elect Executive Vice President Mary Kay Henry the 10th president of the nation's fastest-growing union. Read more...

Statement from Workers United Announcing Ratification of Hugo Boss Worker Contract

Apr 23, 2010 - The Hugo Boss workers at the company's factory in Brooklyn, Ohio just overwhelmingly ratified a new three-year contract. The tremendous efforts of the workers--members of Workers United, SEIU--as well as the efforts of many elected and community allies, have led to this tremendous moment. Read more...

Residents, Workers, Students Disrupt Bankers Meeting in Saint Paul

Feb 16, 2010 - Demanding that big banks like US Bancorp and Wells Fargo fulfill their responsibility to rebuild our economy by supporting good jobs in our community, Minnesota taxpayers and janitors protested a meeting of the state's top bankers on Tuesday. Read more...

San Francisco Residential Service Workers Ratify New Contract with Building Owners

Oct 08, 2009 - On Thursday, October 8, more than 300 residential service workers announced that they have ratified a new three-year union contract with the owners of more than 50 San Francisco residential buildings. The new contract maintains current benefits, decent wages, as well as ensuring wage increases for the residential workers. Read more...

SEIU Security Officers Who Protect Kaiser Permanente Hospitals Nationwide Vote Overwhelmingly to Ratify First-ever Union Contract

Jul 25, 2009 - Security officers with SEIU who protect Kaiser Permanente hospitals nationwide voted overwhelmingly today to ratify their first-ever union contract. The three year contract with private security company Securitas includes family healthcare and higher wages. Read more...

Security Officers Seeking to Form Union With SEIU Score Major Victory Over Irresponsible Contractor

Jan 16, 2009 - Security officers responsible for protecting patients and staff at Kaiser Permanente medical facilities nationwide won a major victory over an irresponsible security contractor after a three-year struggle where officers seeking to join SEIU faced threats, intimidation and termination for union support. Kaiser Permanente replaced the irresponsible contractor, Inter-Con, with a new contractor called Securitas, a company that is union in many industries and client sectors throughout California. Read more...

Hilda Solis Will Stand for Justice, Open Doors for Millions of Workers in America

Jan 09, 2009 - "At this critical juncture in our great nation, I cannot think of anyone more qualified than Representative Hilda Solis to re-establish the U.S. Labor Department's priorities of justice, fairness, and equal opportunity for all workers," said SEIU Executive Vice President Eliseo Medina today, in his statement of support for Representative Hilda Solis's confirmation as U.S. Secretary of Labor: Read more...

Houston Janitors and Responsible Corporate Leaders Help Address Crisis for Thousands of Low-Wage Workers with Groundbreaking New Health Clinic

Dec 17, 2008 - Houston janitors are joining elected and community leaders today to unveil the "Houston Service Workers Clinic"--a partnership between janitors, responsible corporate leaders and health care providers that offers a groundbreaking model for providing low-cost, quality health care for low-wage workers. Read more...

SEIU Reaches Agreement with Wackenhut

Dec 16, 2008 - SEIU has reached an agreement with The Wackenhut Corporation, the second-largest security company in the United States and a subsidiary of G4S plc. The agreement brings an end to a long dispute and establishes an agreed upon framework to work together in interest of security officers. Read more...

SFO Workers Vote to Authorize Strike

Oct 28, 2008 - Airline service workers at San Francisco International Airport voted overwhelmingly yesterday to authorize a strike at one of the busiest airports in the country. Read more...

"Dear Sarah..."

Oct 01, 2008 - My name is Marshall Clemons and I'm a school custodian in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I've been a custodian for 16 years and I'm proud of the work that I do to ensure that our students have a clean and safe place to learn. Read more...

Janitors Strike Against Cleaning Contractor to Defend Civil Rights at Two General Growth Properties Malls

Sep 09, 2008 - Low-wage mall janitors at Park Meadows Mall in Littleton, Colorado, and Southland Mall in Hayward, California, are walking off the job today to protest unfair labor practices committed by the Millard Group, which cleans malls owned by General Growth Properties, the nation's second largest mall owner. Read more...

SEIU Members Get Ready to Mobilize for General Elections

Jun 24, 2008 - Nurses, child care and home care workers, janitors, security officers and other SEIU members across the country are already talking to voters and hitting the streets in key states and races across the country. Read more...

Strike Spreads in Silicon Valley, Bay Area

May 21, 2008 - Striking janitors are demonstrating outside the Intel shareholder's meeting this morning in Mountain View as concerned investors inside question the company's policies on issues that affect working families. Read more...

Day 1: Silicon Valley Janitors Walking Off the Job Today

May 20, 2008 - Janitors who clean some of the area's highest-profile corporations are trading their brooms for picket signs today. Hundreds of janitors are walking off the job at Cisco Systems, Yahoo, Hewlett-Packard, Oracle and other high-tech and bio-tech corporations throughout the Silicon Valley. As the strike expands, it could spread to other parts of the Bay Area. Read more...

OBAMA: CLEARLY THE PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE

May 06, 2008 - "Senator Obama's commanding win in North Carolina and close showing in Indiana means he is clearly the Democratic nominee for President,"said Anna Burger, SEIU Secretary-Treasurer. "We've had a long process and the outcome is now clear. The Democratic Party should come together to focus on winning in November." Read more...

Justice for Janitors Launches New Website TheIrvineCompanyWatch.org as Thousands Demonstrate Outside Buildings Owned by The Irvine Company in LA

Apr 30, 2008 - As contracts covering more than 16,000 California janitors expired this week, thousands of janitors marched and rallied outside buildings owned by The Irvine Company in Century City and in Orange County's Fashion Island while playing drums, waving brooms and chanting. Read more...

Security Officers Win First-Ever Union Contract

Apr 14, 2008 - -D.C. City Council Members and clergy joined with Local 32BJ today to announce agreements with the four top private security contractors in Washington D.C. on 4-year contracts providing nearly 1,500 private security officers with the higher wages, health care and other benefits they need to support their families Read more...

SEIU Members Endorse Sen. Barack Obama

Feb 15, 2008 - Nurses, childcare workers, janitors and other service workers endorsed Sen. Barack Obama for president today, calling him the candidate with the best vision, best plan and best strategy to lead the country to a new American Dream. Read more...

1,000 Aramark Workers and Their Supporters March on Aramark's World Headquarters to Demand Company Do Better for Customers, Taxpayers, and Workers Across the Country

Nov 14, 2007 - More than 1,000 Aramark workers and their supporters who provide food and cleaning services at facilities across the country came together in Center City with public school parents, clergy and elected officials to call on Philadelphia-based Aramark to improve its treatment of workers and customers at Aramark facilities. Read more...

MEDIA ADVISORY for Nov. 17th: Activist Armada of Small Boats to Take "Private" Beach of Exclusive Fisher Island Public

Nov 13, 2007 - An armada of decorated boats will carry hundreds of activists on Saturday, November 17 to the sheltered and until now thought to be off-limits beaches of Fisher Island-named the nation's most expensive zip code by Forbes and labeled "Fantasy Island" by the New York Times-to protest discriminatory and abusive treatment of the workers that clean, maintain, and protect the island. Read more...

Service Workers Call on Aramark to stop leaving Houston Families Behind

Nov 09, 2007 - Last year, thousands of Houston janitors and their families won, for the first time, better wages, access to affordable health care, and dignity on the job. But there are thousands more service workers in Houston who still struggle to make ends meet at dead-end, low-wage jobs with no path toward health insurance. Read more...

SEIU's Efforts to Improve Private Security Industry Standards Are Challenged by Wackenhut Lawsuit

Nov 02, 2007 - "In the last month alone, Wackenhut security lapses were confirmed at one nuclear power plant, and Wackenhut guards were caught sleeping on the job at another nuclear power plant. Instead of addressing the problems that led to the lapses, Wackenhut has chosen to fight its employees' efforts to improve security. Read more...