About two dozen office janitors and cleaners marched Tuesday through Bethesda’s Metro Plaza, demanding more full-time positions and the health benefits that come with them amid tense negotiations over their union’s next collective bargaining agreement.
The local chapter of 32BJ SEIU represents about 1,500 office workers in Montgomery County and claims that the Washington Service Contractors Association—the group that represents commercial property owners—has stalled when it comes to offering more full-time jobs and higher wages.
County Council member Hans Riemer said at the rally that he’s putting together a bill that could require certain property owners to provide full-time jobs instead of spreading out cleaning tasks among more part-time workers. Workers said that tactic allows the contractors to avoid having to pay for benefits such as health insurance.
The union’s contract expires in October.
“We’d rather have them bargain it out. But the bottom line is, we need them to do the right thing,” Riemer said of the service contractors association. “I recognize that we have a challenge in the county with commercial vacancies. The economy, it’s improving but it’s not improving as fast as everyone would like. At the same time, there’s some things that just need to be part of the base set of expenses.”
An attorney representing the Washington Service Contractors Association couldn’t be reached for comment.
Jaime Contreras, vice president of the regional 32BJ chapter, said there are about 20 commercial properties in Montgomery County that are part of the union’s contract—most are in Bethesda, Rockville and Silver Spring.
Miriam Pineda, a Takoma Park resident, said through a translator that she’s given 20 hours of cleaning work per week at a salary of $12.75 per hour.
“It’s not enough to make a living. The rent has gone up, there are family expenses,” Pineda said. “For some of us, we’re getting older and they refuse to give us more hours.”
Contreras said the union would like to secure 30 hours of work per week for all of its workers, which would allow them to apply for healthcare under the Affordable Care Act.
About 90 percent of the cleaners that the union represents in Montgomery County are Hispanic. Contreras said many must work second jobs and that about 85 percent of union members in the county work part time.
“We know, in Maryland, in Montgomery County, in Bethesda, one of the wealthiest jurisdictions in America, the better you treat your workers, the better they treat you,” District 19 state Sen. Roger Manno said at the rally Tuesday.
Manno, who represents areas of Silver Spring, Aspen Hill, Rockville and Gaithersburg, said he was at the event to support the workers.
A staff member for Riemer said the bill legislating full-time hours could be introduced as soon as this summer.
