Commercial office cleaners who belong to SEIU 32BJ, reached a tentative agreement with the Washington Service Contractors Association on a new four-year contract, the union announced Tuesday.
Office cleaners earn $17.60 an hour in Montgomery County. Under the agreement, which must first be ratified by union members, they will receive an hourly increase of $3.55 to $3.75 over the life of the contract.
The group held seven bargaining sessions.
“These men and women proved that collective action has the power to improve jobs and lives, just like other low-wage workers deserve nationwide,” said 32BJ Executive Vice President, Jaime Contreras.
According to a news release, the new contract allows janitors to maintain access to free professional training and language courses as well as legal services concerning issues such as immigration, family and matrimonial matters and housing law among others.
Full-time cleaners will maintain employer-paid health care, including prescription drugs, dental, vision and life insurance. Part-time cleaners will continue to receive life insurance and family dental benefits.
The union members, most of whom are immigrants, clean commercial multi-tenant buildings, including the Westfield malls, Kaiser Permanente and Lockheed Martin. About 1,200 union members work in more than 200 office buildings Montgomery County.
In Montgomery County, 35 of their members died from COVID.
