Fourteen supporters of Houston's striking janitors were arrested yesterday evening after they handcuffed themselves to the entrances of the Chevron building downtown, part of a national protest against the oil company. According to the Chronicle, a group of protesters tossed garbage bags into the revolving door and around the entrance of 1500 Louisiana St., then chained themselves to the door, the skywalk and each other. Police arrived in about 15 minutes and made the arrests; officers said the protesters would probably be charged with trespassing.
In a statement, Chevron said it contracts for janitorial services in Houston and isn't involved in the talks between the Service Employees International Union and janitorial cleaning companies. But union spokeswoman Lydia Tran said the protest focused on Chevron because it's a leading company here: "If they were to instruct their contractors to pay higher wages and benefits, it would go a long way toward moving the business community here to follow suit," Tran told the Chronicle.
About a third of the 5,300 Houston janitors SEIU represents have been striking since Oct. 23, seeking a payraise to $8.50 an hour plus health care benefits. Local janitors now earn an average of $5.30 an hour.
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