Denver Custodians to Gain $4 Hourly Wage Increase

After months of negotiations, custodians at Denver International Airport (DIA) reached a tentative contract agreement with their employers that includes a US$4 an hour raise, The Denver Post reports.

The agreement came after 350 custodians, members of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 105, went on strike 6 a.m. Saturday morning, at the beginning of the busy Thanksgiving travel period. The workers said they were striking due to unfair workloads and stagnant wages.

The janitors had previously staged a one-day strike in October after their contract expired with contractor Flagship Facility Services and its subcontractors. Their union representatives continued to negotiate unsuccessfully until the second strike, which they described as a “last resort.” Then about 12 hours after the Saturday morning walkout, union representatives and the employer came to a tentative agreement.

“The janitors that keep this airport clean and safe stood strong,” said Tikdem Atsbaha, a janitor for 18 years. “We walked off the job united, and we won historic wages and workload protections for janitors at this airport. This agreement is good for janitors, it’s good for our communities, and it’s good for our airport.”

The proposed $4 hourly raise would come in three increments over a three-year contract: a $2.50 hourly raise in March 2022, followed by a $0.75 increase in 2023 and another $0.75 bump in 2024. If ratified by a vote of union members, it would raise top-level pay to $21 an hour.

“We are pleased that SEIU and Flagship have reached an agreement and thank both parties for their efforts and partnership to develop an equitable solution for our janitors,” said Phil Washington, CEO of the airport. “The janitorial staff is an important part of [DIA] and we thank them for their hard work.”

The custodians will vote on the proposal within the coming week. They immediately resumed work after calling an end to the short strike.