Janitors Fight Back

Protecting Workers’ Legal Rights

Janitors work hard, but too often our companies don’t reward our hard work. Too many companies fail to pay overtime or minimum wage, which are required by U.S. law. In response to this exploitation, janitors are fighting back.

Legal Action Nationwide

With employers more determined than ever to exploit their workers, especially those who are immigrants, janitors are working with SEIU to take legal action to recover lost wages and send a message to the cleaning industry and its clients that exploitation will not be tolerated.

National supermarkets Safeway, Vons, Albertsons, and Ralph’s were recently ordered to pay 2,000 janitors who worked in supermarkets in California a total of $22.4 million after the supermarkets were held responsible for their cleaning companies’ failure to pay overtime and minimum wage. The janitors are expected to receive as much as $10,000 each.

In August 2004, a company that cleaned Target stores was forced to pay $1.9 million in back wages to 775 janitors in California as well as in parts of Arizona, Nevada, Texas and New Mexico following charges the company broke federal overtime laws. An industry watchdog group sponsored by SEIU and a group of responsible cleaning companies called the Maintenance Cooperation Trust Fund conducted the original investigation that led to the settlement.

In Texas, Illinois and other states, a lawsuit is proceeding that could involve millions of dollars and thousands of janitors at United Parcel Service (UPS). The cleaning company hired by UPS did not pay janitors for all the hours they worked, did not pay overtime, and cheated workers out of other wages it owed.  The lawsuit is still pending. SEIU’s legal counsel is the attorney for the janitors.

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