UPDATE: SEIU Local 2 janitors in Toronto, who had repeatedly said they were willing to strike if their companies did not provide wage increases that kept up with the cost of living, will not strike as scheduled on April 30. Instead, the cleaners ratified a three-year deal by a majority vote after the employers presented a new offer on April 29.
PREVIOUSLY: Thousands of cleaning and maintenance staff in Toronto were set to hold a strike vote on Saturday, April 30. The Toronto janitors, members of the Service Employees International Union Local 2, say they have been working hard to get a fair contract from the cleaning companies they work for, but the employers are refusing to provide wage increases that keep up with the cost of living.
The coalition of janitors, most of whom a news release notes have worked tirelessly through the pandemic without any kind of pandemic pay, include those who clean healthcare facilities, public transportation systems, courthouses, morgues, parcel delivery facilities, police stations, commercial office buildings, shopping malls, food courts, post-secondary institutions, private schools, airports, and more.
The release notes that most earn around $15.70, although some earn a top rate of $16.45 and some make an additional 50 cents per hour for overnight shifts or lead hand premiums.
At a time when Canadian inflation has reached a 31-year high of 6.7 per cent, SEIU Local 2, which represents over 4,000 cleaners in the Greater Toronto Area, stresses that these low-wage workers are being hit the hardest by the steep rise in the cost of living and basic necessities are getting out of reach. While the essential frontline health and safety role played by cleaners has received more recognition and appreciation over the last two years of the pandemic, in most cases that has not been reflected in an adjustment of pay.
“Not only did we not get any pandemic pay, our workloads also increased as deeper cleaning was required,” says Mark Dayao, who works for Best Service Pros at Humber College.
“Most of my co-workers are working two jobs to be able to pay the bills now,” says Erna Bearneza, who works for GDI Integrated Facility Services at a facility owned by one of the major banks and has been cleaning the facility for 10 years.
“We need to show the companies that we are prepared to fight united to protect all our families,” says Gloria Pozo, who works for Amphora Maintenance Services and has been cleaning near Bay Street and Richmond for 16 years. “If it’s necessary to vote for a strike, we will vote to strike.”
The release adds that property owners and managers, both governmental and private, have created a competitive bidding model that puts downward pressure on wages and pushes janitors to do more and more, often with less staff and less time.
