Ryan Carter
About 150 janitors marched down Brand Boulevard Friday to urge the
managers of three Glendale office buildings to pay better wages to
the janitors who clean their offices.
"Justicia para los janitors! Justice for janitors!" workers from
Los Angeles and Glendale shouted as they walked through the high-rise
district between 400 and 700 North Brand Boulevard.
The march was part of International Justice for Janitors Day, and
was organized by Service Employees International Union local 1877,
which represents office cleaners in the area. Office cleaners from
New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, Seattle and Denver also had
marches in conjunction with the event. The rally was in Glendale to
support local janitors who union officials said were not being paid
livable wages or health benefits by Haynes Building Services, a
Monrovia-based janitorial services employer.
Neither officials at Haynes, or the Glendale-based real estate
company, Dorn-Platz & Company, which union officials said manages the
buildings in which the janitors work, returned calls for comment
Friday. The marchers, who came from Glendale and on buses from Los
Angeles, marched in support of about 30 nonunion office cleaners
employed by Haynes who work in the high-rises at 400, 450 and 500
North Brand.
"The employers are not treating them well and giving them what
they deserve," said Luis Vides, a janitor for 13 years. "We deserve
the right to have better medical benefits and to not depend on the
government."
Vides was part of a committee that in May hashed out a contract
with other employers to pay janitors in Los Angeles $9.80 an hour and
Glendale unionized workers $8.50 an hour. The agreement was a 30%
increase from the previous minimum, said Elizabeth Brennan, a
spokeswoman for Local 1877. But Haynes is still paying $6.75 an hour,
Brennan said.
None of the 30 janitors who work in the buildings owned by
Dorn-Platz marched Friday, officials said.
"They are scared to," said organizer Jasmin Castillo, adding that
Haynes officials don't want to lose the company's contract with
Dorn-Platz if they demand higher wages.
