Janitors in Philly suburbs and Delaware secure new contract with ‘historic wage increases’

Janitors for commercial office buildings in suburban Philadelphia and Delaware secured a new four-year contract on Saturday.

Both contracts were set to expire later this month, and negotiations between Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 32BJ, which represents the workers, and the Building Operators Labor Relations (BOLR), which represents the workers’ employers, began in November.

“We are happy to have reached an agreement that protects our members’ health care and provides historic wage increases that will make a significant difference in their lives,” Daisy Cruz, Mid Atlantic 1201 District Leader for 32BJ SEIU, said in a statement.

The new agreement combines the contracts of 1,400 cleaners in suburban Philadelphia and 600 janitors in Wilmington and New Castle County that had previously been separate and comes days before the contracts were set to expire.

“We’re bargaining with a majority of the same employers for both markets, so the decision was made to combine both agreements, so that we’re sitting all at one table,” Cruz said.

The majority of the members across the two groups are Black and brown workers, who work part-time and have other jobs, she said.

Last month dozens of janitors marched in Conshohocken demanding a better contract for the suburban Philadelphia janitors. At the time, a proposal from the employers included cutting starting wages for new employees by $3, reducing vacation for long-term workers, and unacceptable wage increases, according to a statement from the union. Daniel Brighter, BOLR president, said at the time that the group remained committed to “achieve an acceptable agreement for both parties.” Janitors also marched through Wilmington in November demanding a better contract for the Delaware workers.

The new contract includes the highest wage increases in history for this group of workers, with over 20% in raises over the course of the four-year contract. The starting wage for workers in Delaware will be $15.80 and $17.50 in the Philadelphia suburbs. When the union first started organizing over 12 years ago, they were making about $6.75, said Cruz.

“We were able to win a contract that allows us to provide for our families and keep up with the cost of living,” Clarence Berry, a cleaner with Delaware 32BJ and a member of the bargaining committee, said in a statement.

The new contract also preserves employer-funded health benefits for full-time and part-time workers, enhances pregnancy protections, and adds Juneteenth as a paid holiday.

As more buildings are being flipped from commercial use to residences and life-science facilities, the contract provides protections for workers who are displaced because of building renovations or conversions. There is a process to organize workers and get back to the negotiating table in an event like this, Cruz said.

“We are pleased that the negotiations between 32BJ SEIU and BOLR were successful, and we reached an equitable, fair agreement for BOLR members, employers, and the union,” Brighter said in a statement.