> SACRAMENTO JANITORS 11-DAY MARCH FOR JUSTICE > By David Bacon > > SACRAMENTO, CA (2/21/98) -- This week, Sacramento janitors took > their long-running war to end their poverty-level wages and conditions to > the doorstep of the corporation they hold responsible for them - > Hewlett-Packard Corp. Starting February 14, a committed band of union > activists began walking from the state capitol to the company's > headquarters 150 miles away in Cupertino. > Through eleven rough days of some of the most violent rainstorms in > the state's history, the marchers trekked beside freeways and through the > working-class towns of the delta and eastern Bay Area. High winds swept > through their line, blowing out their red umbrellas and tearing their > plastic raincoats to shreds by the time the march was half-completed. > They called their journey a peregrinacion, or pilgrimage. Marchers > were met almost daily by rallies of other union members, students, > religious activists and community supporters. On Tuesday, they arrived at > Hewlett-Packard's expensive Cupertino glass-and-steel headquarters, where > they demanded that the company respect their right to organize. > The union for Sacramento janitors, Service Employees Local 1877, > has been locked in an almost epic struggle to win a union contract at > Somers Building Maintenence, the capitol's largest building service company > with 1000 employees. Hewlett-Packard is Somers' largest client, using the > firm to clean five of its Sacramento-area buildings. > "Even though I work full time, I only earn $12,500 per year," > explained Somers janitor and marcher Marta Villalobos. "I have no health > insurance for my four kids, and my husband and I live in fear that any > unexpected illness will put us on the street." > Somers workers were joined by fellow janitors from around the > state, who took time off work to walk with them. "Low wages and conditions > in Sacramento affect us in Los Angeles," said Local 1877 member Alfredo > Rodriguez. "If we support our brothers and sisters at Somers, our union > will be stronger, and we'll all benefit." > In 1989 Rodriguez was beaten by Los Angeles police, who charged a > march of janitors trying to organize a union in Century City. "I learned > then how important it is for us to stick together," he said. > Somers workers began signing Local 1877 union cards in the spring > of 1995. Organizers explained to them that the local had won better wages > in Silicon Valley, Alameda County and Los Angeles by organizing a majority > of building service companies. Previously, these contractors competed > against each other, trying to win cleaning contracts with large building > owners by cutting wages and benefits. Union agreements standardized wages, > taking them out of competition. > After winning workers' support, Local 1877 asked Somers to > acknowledge that a majority had signed union cards, and recognize the > union. The union sought to avoid the legal process administered by the > National Labor Relations Board, since it normally involves lengthy delays > and legal battles, company intimidation of workers, and firings. > The company refused. According to its spokesperson Randall > Schaber, Somers insisted on a labor board election, and hired the west > coast's best-known anti-union law firm, Littler, Mendelssohn, Fastiff and > Tichy. > While refusing to recognize Local 1877, an ex-supervisor began > going through the buildings at night, collecting signatures on cards for > Couriers and Service Employees Local 1, a hitherto unknown union > unaffiliated with the AFL-CIO. After a few weeks, Somers management told > workers it had recognized Local 1 because a majority had signed cards, and > agreed to a contract with no wage increases. > In September 1996, Isidro Camarillo, a Somers janitor supporting > Local 1877, was attacked at night in one of Hewlett-Packard's buildings by > Crisanto Martinez, a Local 1 steward. On October 27 Luis Camarillo, > another 1877 supporter, was beaten in an H-P building as well. Martinez is > still employed by Somers. > Eventually, the National Labor Relations Board found that Local 1 > was a company union, and invalidated its agreement with Somers. > Nevertheless, the company's war with Local 1877 continued. > According to Raul Lara, a Somers janitor, "the company still > threatens to fire workersfor participating in union activities. Many > support the union but are afraid to show their face," he said. > Justice for Janitors built a community coalition to back up the > workers' organizing effort. It mounted a campaign to convince > Hewlett-Packard to take responbility, both for the low wages and conditions > of the workers, and for the anti-union tactics used by its contractor. > Marlene Somsak, a public relations spokesperson for > Hewlett-Packard, says the company is opposed to these kinds of corporate > campaigns, which she refers to as "the use of neutral parties as > battlegrounds." > As this struggle unfolded in Sacramento and Cupertino, Republican > politicians in Washington DC began an effort to outlaw the kinds of > corporate campaign tactics used by the janitors. In 1996, Michigan > Republican Pete Hoekstra accused Department of Labor representative Richard > Sawyer of intervening with Hewlett Packard on behalf of the union, and got > then-Labor Secretary Robert Reich to fire him. Hoekstra's government > oversight committee later held hearings on the Somers case, using it as an > example of the need to restrict union tactics. > As he greeted the marchers at a rally in Oakland last Friday, Art > Pulaski, Executive Secretary of the California Labor Federation, pointed > out that these Republican actions have given the labor movement a big stake > in winning the fight at Somers. "This isn't just a fight in one company," > he said. "The effort to deny these janitors the right to their union is > part of a larger rightwing strategy. Companies are using the political > process to do away with unions generally and make it impossible for workers > to organize." > Meanwhile, Sacramento area politicians, originally hostile to the > workers' efforts, have begun to look for ways to end the conflict. Last > summer, Sacramento Mayor Joe Serna and city authorities prohibited > janitors' marches through the streets. Pulaski and other labor leaders > were arrested en masse as they paraded on the K Street mall in the union's > support. > Serna eventually felt so much political heat that he reluctantly > offered to mediate a settlement between Somers and the union. In January, > when Somers rebuffed his offer, he made public a letter condemning the > company, saying it "never really came to the table with a viable proposal, > thus making clear that the company wasn't ready to negotiate in good > faith." > Serna highlighted the consequences of intense competition between > non-union janitorial contractors. "Janitors are still stuck in poverty," > he said. "It is therefore to the benefit of the community when workers are > organized into unions and earn living wages and health benefits." > > - 30 - > > --------------------------------------------------------------- > david bacon - labornet email david bacon > internet: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 1631 channing way > phone: 510.549.0291 berkeley, ca 94703 > --------------------------------------------------------------- > > >
