Office cleaners celebrate contract agreement, show solidarity on eve of New York City strike

Friday, December 30, 2011
By Travis Fedschun/The Jersey Journal

In the face of a cold, stiff wind, about 70 New Jersey office cleaners rallied yesterday afternoon in downtown Jersey City to celebrate their new contract, a deal that averted a strike.

The office cleaners were also there to show their support for fellow cleaners across the Hudson in Manhattan?s commercial buildings who may go on strike if a deal is not reached by midnight tomorrow, New Year?s Eve.

?I?m just so happy. I was not expecting an agreement to happen,? office cleaner Dinora Alberto of Bound Brook said at the rally that was also attended by Hudson County Freeholder Bill O?Dea, and Assemblymen Charles Mainor, D-Jersey City, and Jason O?Donnell, D-Bayonne.

?It was great for us to be able to agree on very important issues, especially that jobs and health care would not be cut.?

On Tuesday, the 32BJ Service Employees International Union (SEIU) announced a tentative new four-year contract for 7,000 New Jersey office building cleaners, which provides a 10 percent increase over the four years and maintains health coverage.

Currently cleaners earn $14 an hour on the Hudson County waterfront and Newark offices. The rate throughout most of the state is $12 an hour.

?This agreement protects 7,000 good jobs, which is a win for the state?s working families and businesses,? said Kevin Brown, New Jersey state director for 32BJ, who later added that workers average a salary of $25,000 a year and needed increases to pay for rising health care and living costs.

Negotiations began in mid-October between 32BJ and a group of cleaning contractors and major real estate owners, including such companies as Mack-Cali, Hartz Mountain, Johnson & Johnson and Merck. The tentative contract is set to be ratified on Jan. 7.

?This really was, and still is, an incredibly important fight. We are part of the 99 percent, and we need to continue the progress moving forward,? said Brown.

While New Jersey workers were celebrating, they are also concerned about the workers in New York.

?I hope nothing but the best for the cleaners in the city,? said Hector Carabullo, 25, of Jersey City, who works at 101 Hudson St. ?If it?s tough to just make ends meet and live here in Jersey, it?s nowhere near as bad (here) as in New York.?