DETROIT – More than 1,700 Detroit janitors have one week of work left until their contract expires, but those workers may be hanging up their brooms and mops for longer.
At 7 p.m. Monday outside the Compuware Building -- 1050 Woodware Ave. in Detroit -- Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1 janitors will announce the industry-wide strike vote results alongside local clergy members and elected leaders, who will be leading a prayer vigil alongside the janitors.
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The current contracts for Detroit janitors ends July 31, and janitors are asking for at least $15 per hour and better benefits. Those janitors are making $9.45 per hour cleaning Detroit buildings such as the Renaissance Center. A spokesperson for Cobo Center said this strike does not involve their janitorial workers, who are under a different contract than the general local contract.
The prayers from clergy members are intended for a "positive outcome to bargaining, including the raises they need to support their families," a press release from SEIU Local 1 said.
"Together, (janitors and clergy members continue) the fight for 'One Detroit,' a city in which all working families can thrive and where any public money used for development go towards creating good jobs."
If negotiations reach a standstill, the janitors may walk off the job after July 31.