Twin Cities janitors call off strike after reaching tentative agreement
The union representing 4,000 Twin Cities janitors reached a tentative contract agreement early Saturday morning, avoiding an open-ended strike that would have affected businesses across the metro as Minnesota confronts the arrival of COVID-19.
The tentative agreement includes the highest pay increases ever for commercial janitors with the Service Employees International Union Local 26, raising hourly pay for full time workers from $16.62 to $18.62 over the next four years, outpacing typical inflation. Part time workers will see an even larger pay raise from $11.12 to $16 an hour over the life of the contract.
“It was a really hard negotiation,” said SEIU Local 26 President Iris Altamirano, adding they negotiated for 22 hours straight before landing a tentative deal. “I can’t understate how our workers were just so strong and that we pulled off a wildly successful (deal).”
The janitors had gone on strike for 24 hours in late February, which Altamirano said helped bring the employers closer in negotiations on sick days.
Read more: https://minnesotareformer.com/briefs/twin-cities-janitors-call-off-strike-after-reaching-tentative-agreement/