Tag: Justice for Janitors
Justice for Janitors (JfJ) is a campaign of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). JfJ in Los Angeles was part of SEIU local 399, local 1877, and currently United Service Workers West (USWW).
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Press Release Commenting on Beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police
Read more: Press Release Commenting on Beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles policeLocal 399 condemned the LAPD beating of Rodney King, while connecting it to the LAPD attacks on a Justice for Janitors demonstration in Century City on June 15. The press release reflects the suspicion that working people and communities of color held for the LAPD during the late ’80s and early ’90s and supports demands for civilian oversight and accountability in the LAPD. Watch: an “Eyewitness Account: J4J in Century City, 1990″ here. From the…
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Cleaning Workers to Go on Strike
Read more: Cleaning Workers to Go on StrikeA clipping of a 1990 article describing a Justice for Janitors training held in from of the Los Angeles Police Department. Janitors were preparing to use non-violent civil disobedience in their strike on Bradford Building Services in November of that year. Translated from Spanish by Juan Torres. “Cleaning workers to go on strike” La Opinion, October 19, 1990 By Miguel Molina Image caption: Janitors stage an arrest drill to prepare for what will occur as…
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Justice for Janitors to Put O’Melveny and Meyers on Trial
Read more: Justice for Janitors to Put O’Melveny and Meyers on TrialDuring the Justice for Janitors’ campaign against Bradford Building Services, one of the largest cleaning service providers in downtown Los Angeles, a group of attorneys and community supporters organized a street theater action outside the law firm of O’Melveny & Myers, one of Bradford’s largest clients. Organized by the Friends for Justice for Janitors, a community organization formed to support the organizing efforts of SEIU’s Justice for Janitors campaign, the lunchtime action included a musical…
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Bruised But Not Beaten | Herridos pero no vencidos
Read more: Bruised But Not Beaten | Herridos pero no vencidosOn June 15, 1990, the LAPD armed with nightsticks attacked group of 500 peaceful demonstrators outside Century City that included women and children. LAPD officers in full riot gear chased janitors into a covered parking structure and beat them with clubs and when union officials tried to approach the officer in charge, they were pushed back on to the ground. More than 100 people sustained injuries that day, some 40 people were sent to emergency,…
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Police Violence in Century City
Read more: Police Violence in Century CityOn June 15, 1990, the Justice for Janitors mobilized their largest action to date: a march down Olympic Boulevard in Century City against ISS (International Services Systems). ISS was a Danish-owned cleaning contractor, the largest in the world at the time, and had acquired a Southern California based cleaning company (Doral Industries) and severed existing union contracts. Many of the buildings where they held contracts were based in Century City and they became the focus…
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Civil Disobedience Training in Century City
Read more: Civil Disobedience Training in Century CityHaving scored some big wins downtown, the Justice for Janitors campaign initiated a second major campaign in Century City against the Danish-owned cleaning contractor ISS (International Services Systems), the largest cleaning contracting company in the world at the time. In May, janitors working for ISS in Century City unanimously voted to authorize a strike because, as one member described, “ISS’ greed leaves us no choice.” They also demonstrated their intentions to engage in non-violent civil…
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“Trabajador Inmigrante” Conoce Tus Derechos! | Immigrant Worker: Know Your Rights!
Read more: “Trabajador Inmigrante” Conoce Tus Derechos! | Immigrant Worker: Know Your Rights!The Justice for Janitors campaign frequently used street theater to enliven their demonstrations and dramatize their cause. Among their most recognizable characters was a luchador named Mop Man, who (in comics and performances) defended janitors against abuses by the boss. In this flyer, Mop Man explains that employers may not require workers to present immigration paperwork, and instead must accept other forms of identification like a drivers license. Workers are encouraged to contact the National Immigration Law…
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Seguro Medico? Si Se Puede! Mopman y Local 399 Luchando por tus Derechos!
Read more: Seguro Medico? Si Se Puede! Mopman y Local 399 Luchando por tus Derechos!The Justice for Janitors campaign frequently used street theater to enliven their demonstrations and dramatize their cause. Among their most recognizable characters was a luchador named Mop Man, who (in comics and performances) defended janitors against abuses by the boss. In this cartoon from the Justice for Janitors campaign, two workers worry about the cost of healthcare. The superhero Mopman tells them that having good health insurance is like “having extra money in your pockets.” Mop Man…
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“We’re sorry we weren’t able to clean your offices last night…”
Read more: “We’re sorry we weren’t able to clean your offices last night…”The glittering skyscrapers that came to dominate the downtown Los Angeles skyline often cost multiple millions of dollars to build, their owners more likely to be banks, hedge funds and multinational corporations, rather than individuals. These corporate owners outsourced their building services to property management companies who, in turn, contracted with cleaning companies who competed to offer the lowest cost services. Their customers, those who rented space in their buildings, often didn’t realize that the…
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Organizing Downtown
Read more: Organizing DowntownAmong the Justice for Janitors campaign’s first targets in Los Angeles was Bradford Building Services, a cleaning services company with dozens of contracts in skyscrapers downtown. Bradford was one of several new subcontractors providing janitorial services at buildings that had broken long-standing union contracts with SEIU Local 399. Janitors claimed Bradford was taking illegal deductions out of their paychecks, firing union organizers, and refusing to pay overtime. The Justice for Janitors campaign against Bradford was…