MEDIA RELEASE: Strike averted as SEIU Local 2 janitors in Toronto ratify 3-year contract – Press Release
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TORONTO, April 30, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — SEIU Local 2 janitors in Toronto repeatedly said they were willing to strike if the companies they work for did not provide wage increases that kept up with the cost of living. Their collective bargaining agreement had expired at the end of March.
The scheduled Saturday morning strike vote in downtown Toronto turned into a ratification vote however, after the employers presented a new offer on Friday. The strike was averted when the cleaners ratified a three-year deal by a majority vote.
More details will be released in the coming days.
BACKGROUND
SEIU Local 2 represents over 4,000 cleaners in the Greater Toronto Area. Over 2,500 of them work for companies that were negotiating at a central table with the Union. This central table sets the standard for the entire industry.
The janitors, most of whom have worked tirelessly through the pandemic without any kind of pandemic pay, 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.
Janitors have historically faced an uphill battle to be recognized for the important work they do for public health and safety. Their wages have been kept low as working conditions deteriorated. To maximize their profits, property owners & managers, including governments and pension funds, have created a competitive-bidding model that puts downward pressure on wages and pushes janitors to be do more and more, often with less staff and less time.
SEIU Local 2 represents over 18,000 essential workers in Ontario, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Alberta. We are proud members of the largest, fastest growing, and most dynamic union in North America.
Contact: Diego Mendez
dmendez@seiulocal2.ca
416-476-7762
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