Twin City Janitors Reach Contract Agreement

Approximately 4,000 custodians, who clean commercial buildings in the Minneapolis area as well as Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, avoided a strike this week when their union reached a tentative contract agreement over the weekend, Minnesota Public Radio reports.

Representatives with Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 26 had been negotiating with building service contractors for several months before reaching an agreement after a 22-hour bargaining session that ended at 7 a.m. on Saturday. The tentative agreement includes a wage increase of US$2.20 over the course of the contract for full-time workers. Part-time workers will see wages rise from $11.12 to $16 an hour over the four-years.

All full-time workers will receive six paid six days by the second year of the contract. While the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul have ordinances requiring employers to provide sick time, custodians working in the suburbs did not have paid sick leave.

The agreement also includes a reduction in health insurance costs, new sexual harassment protection policies, and funding toward education programs certifying workers in green cleaning methods.