CLEVELAND, Ohio—Janitors in downtown Cleveland office buildings unanimously ratified a new contract that will bring their average wage up to $15 an hour by 2023, Service Employees International Union Local 1 announced Apr. 27. The five-year master agreement covers about 500 janitors. Local 1 said the raises it won will average between $2,600 and $3,400 a year, four times higher than what janitors got in their previous contract, and the deal also includes “fully funded health care.” “Our janitor-led ‘One Cleveland’ campaign has proved to be a historic success, and I’m so proud of how we came together to win a better future for our city,” janitor Brian Yarbrough said in the Local 1 statement. “The wages and benefits we won will provide a game-changing boost for our families and Cleveland’s most neglected communities.” Local 1, which calls the “One Cleveland” campaign “a way to ensure all Clevelanders benefit from the city’s booming redevelopment,” has recently reached similar agreements with Cuyahoga Community College, the Cleveland Orchestra and the ArcelorMittal Steel Mill. The union plans similar campaigns for about 950 more janitors in Cleveland, Akron, Columbus, and Cincinnati whose contracts expire this year. Read more
