Just days before their contract was to expire, a union representing 500 janitors at the University of Miami reached a new deal with a contractor that averts a strike and calls for pay raises of 24% over four years.
The tentative agreement on Friday, which requires member ratification, covers janitors, groundskeepers, and other property service workers who clean and maintain UM classrooms, clinics, dormitories, locker rooms, and research facilities. The workers are represented by 32BJ SEIU, a national union based in Washington, D.C.
The new contract is with the workers’ employer, ABM Industries. It would replace a deal that was set to expire Sunday, the union said in a statement.
Over the weekend, an ABM spokesman acknowledged the deal in an email to the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
“ABM is pleased to have reached a tentative four-year agreement with SEIU Local 32BJ covering custodians at the University of Miami,” said Michael Valentino, senior director, external communications and media relations.
“Our team plays an important role in maintaining a clean, safe, and healthy learning environment for students, faculty, staff, and visitors, and this agreement reflects the mutual best interests of all parties involved,” he added. “The agreement is subject to final approval by the union membership.”
A New York-based Fortune 500 company with offices in Fort Lauderdale, the company is a nationwide workforce supplier that provides permanent, full-time labor in a variety of industries.
Valentino said the company would not discuss the new contract “until it has been approved.”
Wage increases
But the union said the agreement “delivers the highest 1st-year wage increase with ABM, thousands in bonuses, access to the 32BJ Legal Fund, and a limited number of subsidized parking spots, while protecting first in class benefits, including 100% employer paid healthcare.”
The union said the deal follows a “string” of new contracts for property service workers in South Florida, including one for workers at Nova Southeastern University and “more than 1,500 office janitors across Miami and Broward.”
“Seventeen years ago, I went on a hunger strike for 17 days so we could win our union,” said Elsa Rodriguez, an ABM-employed janitor and union bargaining committee member. “This agreement honors that sacrifice. With raises and our health care and retirement protected, I can finally see a path to retire with dignity.”
The bargaining committee unanimously recommended that the members ratify the agreement.
The union asserted the deal “nearly doubled ABM’s initial wage and benefit offer, as well as beat back a proposal to eliminate their training fund if they wanted higher raises.”
The union’s statement made no mention of the future hourly wages to be earned under the new deal; nor did it say how much workers earn now.
Bonus time
But it said bonuses are in store for the unionzed workers that range from $500 to $2,350 and are pegged to years of service.
Besides the wage increases and bonuses, the union noted the following highlights:
32BJ Legal Fund: Provides free and low-cost legal assistance for immigration, family law, estate, and other legal matters.
Subsidized Parking: 50% off fees for 100 employees, based on seniority.
Health Benefits: 100% employer-paid health insurance.
Retirement: Continued access to an employer-matching 401(k)
Training Fund: Free career advancement training, certifications, language, and other classes.
Paid Vacation: One week after a year, two weeks after five years, three weeks after eight years, four weeks after 15 years
Additional Paid Time Off: 11 paid holidays, nine personal days (up to five unused days can be paid out at the end of the year)
Job Security: Progressive discipline and grievance procedures.
The union says it has come a long way in organizing and winning battles for better pay and benefits for members
In 2006, UM janitors went on a hunger strike to attain the right to organize. The same members “later helped organize over 1,500 new janitors, airport workers, and security officers” in South Florida.
In 2020, union members went door-to-door urging voters to pass the Florida constitutional amendment that raised the state minimum hourly wage to $15 by 2026.
The rate is now $13. On Sept. 30, the minimum goes to $14.
