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Thousands of Houston contract custodians avoided a strike last week as they provisionally agreed to a two-year contract with the city’s private concierge companies, Houston Public Media reports.
The workers, members of the Texas International Service Employees Union (SEIU), were looking for a minimum hourly wage of US $ 15 along with days of sick leave and additional paid leave. Union officials say most of the 2,800 custodians represented by the union only work part-time earning just $ 10.75 under the recently expired contract.
SEIU Texas President Elsa Caballero said the new two-year interim agreement is an encouraging step in the right direction. The union will make the details of the new contract public after all members have had a chance to ratify it.
“After a record marathon negotiation, we were able to reach an interim agreement that I think addresses many of the [the members’] worries, “Caballero said.” If we don’t make a point that all the work has to be valued and all the work has to be able to pay enough for you to take care of yourself, what are we doing? “
The custodians have been threatening a strike if contract negotiations failed. Houston janitors have gone on two large-scale strikes in previous years: in 2006 and 2012.
The precedent for a minimum wage of $ 15 for workers has already been set in Houston. The city council raised the minimum wage for all city employees, including custodians, to $ 15 an hour last year. In February, Mayor Sylvester Turner signed an executive order to raise the hourly wage of Houston airport workers to $ 15 by the end of 2023.
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