Janitors block Westheimer/Post Oak intersection

Those striking janitors sure have been busy lately: Earlier this week some of them hit the road to take their crusade for higher wages to other cities, and today some others hit the road — literally — blocking a busy Uptown intersection for a couple of hours. It happened at Westheimer and Post Oak at about 1:30 p.m., when protesters dragged a bunch of garbage cans and trash bags into the intersection, formed a circle around them and handcuffed themselves to each other and the cans. According to KPRC, police showed up and directed traffic for a while; at 2:30, they closed the intersection and started breaking the crowd up. Twelve people were arrested and may face Class B misdemeanor charges for obstructing a pathway. The roads re-opened by 3 p.m.

The demonstration was part of the local Justice for Janitors campaign, which is aimed at increasing the wages of Houston janitors who earn an average of $5.30 an hour — less than half what their counterparts make in some other big cities. "Today, they're demonstrating their courage and their conviction in what the janitors are trying to stand up for, which is janitors are currently earning $20 a day living with no health insurance. And, so, it's not a good future for the city, if that's the case," Service Employees International Union spokeswoman Lynda Tran said.

Tran said more protests are ahead, but she didn't say where or when.