For More Information: Traci C. Benjamin: 215-300-0776; tbenjamin@seiu32bj.org
Malvern, PA – On the verge of a contract expiration affecting 1,400 janitors who clean the suburbs’ most prominent office buildings, janitors and their supports will rally Thursday, December 10 at 12 p.m. at the Vanguard West Campus in Malvern.
The janitors—members of 32BJ SEIU—will be joined by “Skinny Santa” to show the economic hardships facing the 1,400 men and women who clean and maintain the nation’s billion-dollar pharmaceutical and bio-tech firms based in the area. The janitors work for various contractors, including CSI, which cleans Vanguards’ facilities.
The janitors and their families will share their financial hardships with “Skinny Santa” (the underpaid Santa who barely makes enough himself to survive). Thousands of local janitors in the Delaware Valley are calling for $15 an hour so that they can better support their families and give their children the Christmas they deserve.
The majority of the suburban commercial office cleaners are immigrants who came to this country seeking an opportunity to achieve the American Dream.
The janitors clean 170 office buildings and prominent billion-dollar pharmaceutical companies throughout Bucks, Chester, Montgomery, and Delaware counties like Johnson & Johnson, Merck U.S. Commercial Headquarters, GlaxoSmithKline, Brandywine Realty Trust, and the Limerick Nuclear Power Plant. Despite strong corporate profits, many workers’ wages have not kept up with the rising cost of living. Sunday’s Philadelphia Inquirer spotlights the stagnation in wages over the past six years. These cleaners are fighting to maintain these good jobs where they can provide for their families and support their communities.
The current 32BJ SEIU contract expires at 11:59 p.m. December 15. The janitors’ Center City counterparts—covered under a separate contract—just secured a four-year contract in October with good raises and benefits.
WHAT: Suburban janitors rally for the holidays
WHO: Suburban janitors and 32BJ leadership
WHERE: 31-33 Morehall Road, Malvern, PA 19355 (Vanguard West Campus)
WHEN: Thursday, December 10, 2015, 12 p.m.
VISUALS: “Skinny Santa,” signs, chants