DE workers rally as thousands across the country commemorate Justice for Janitors Day in supporting the struggle of low-wage workers to improve their lives.
WILMINGTON, De-As the Delaware state legislature this week considers a bill to raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour, commercial office cleaners, joined by elected officials and supporters will rally and march Friday at 3:00pm Rodney Square.
State Rep. Gerald Butler will rally with the cleaners who take care of Wilmington and New Castle County commercial office buildings and would benefit from winning $15 an hour. The House Labor and Civil Service Committee held a hearing on $15 yesterday, with a committee vote expected any day.
WHAT: Justice for Janitors Rally & March for $15
WHEN: Friday, June 14th at 3:00pm
WHERE: Rodney Square
1000 N. Market St.
Wilmington DE
VISUALS: Signs, chanting
MORE: The Delaware cleaners will join thousands of 32BJ SEIU commercial office cleaners in various cities along the East Coast to rally in commemoration of Justice for Janitors Day, a key moment in the historic Justice for Janitors fight that took place 29 years ago. The nationwide rallies commemorate a protest on June 15, 1990, in which a group of Los Angeles janitors took on the fight for fairness on their jobs. They were severely beaten by police during a peaceful protest, and the event strengthened the resolve of janitors and cleaners to improve their lives and uplift their communities, improving wages and conditions in other industry and similar industries.
The Justice for Janitors campaign has transformed the janitorial industry by raising wages and benefits for hundreds of thousands of cleaners across the country. The campaign paved the way for the Fight for $15 which has raise wages for millions of Americans.
Adopting a path to $15 will add Delaware to the growing list of states that are taking action to ensure their lowest paid workers have enough to get by. Seven states plus the District of Columbia have legislated a $15 minimum wage including Delaware’s neighbors Maryland and New Jersey. Across the country, 3 in 10 workers now live a state that has passed a $15 bill into law.
With 175,000 members in eleven states and Washington, D.C., including 22,000 in Pennsylvania & DE, 32BJ SEIU is the largest property service workers union in the country.
###