Results tagged “serviceemployeesinternationalunion”

So, just short of a month after a group of local janitors went on strike to demand higher wages and health benefits, the strike seems to be over: The striking janitors and the city's five major cleaning companies reaches a tentative agreement yesterday. Which means the strike was a success, right? Well, yes. And no. more ›

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. more ›

Remember the striking Houston janitors who protested in other cities and blocked the Westheimer/Post Oak intersection? They've been busy this week, too: Yesterday they rolled buckets and trash bins through downtown during rush hour and returned to Uptown — and today they stormed the Houston Club, disrupted a speech and gathered outside HPD headquarters. more ›

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. more ›

About a week after Houston janitors walked off the job to protest their average $5.30 hourly pay, the janitors have taken their show on the road, hoping to stir up their brethren in Chicago, Los Angeles, Sacramento and Washington. Organizers call it a "national escalation plan," and Cornell University labor studies professor Richard Hurd said the move is meant to send a message to janitorial companies elsewhere: "It's a way of sending a message to... more ›