Janitors who are members of SEIU-United Service Workers West in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, the Bay Area and Sacramento have overwhelmingly ratified a new contract, the union announced Wednesday.
After their contract expired April 30, thousands of janitors who clean California's largest office buildings, studios and tech campuses were set to strike if they did not reach an agreement.
However, they were able to reach an agreement on a new contract with the state's largest janitorial employers that includes wage increases, pensions for all members, and protections against abusive workloads, according to union president David Huerta.
Union members voted to approve the contract Monday.
"The amount of work that janitors were asked to do on a shift, especially after the pandemic, has reached dangerous levels, and people are getting injuries from heavy lifting and repetitive motion," said Maria Ortiz, a janitor from Los Angeles and a member of the bargaining committee.
"We weren't going to accept an agreement that didn't include workload protections."
