A Legacy of Strength in Unity
It all began with a simple fact: “there is no future on $20 a day.”
In 2006, Houston’s janitors struggled to survive earning $20 a night with no access to affordable healthcare and no voice on the job. These exceptionally low wages represented a real threat to Houston’s economic vitality. The lives of Houston’s janitors stood in stark contrast to the glimmering skyscrapers they were responsible for keeping clean.
Tired of working for poverty wages and deplorable conditions, more than 3,000 janitors went on strike for a better future for their families in November of 2006. The three-week strike captured national attention and the support of religious leaders, elected officials and Houstonians alike, earning the janitors their first union contract.
In collaboration with Houston’s business community, the janitors more than doubled their income through increased wages, working hours and the creation of the Houston Service Workers Clinic. These improvements significantly raised standards for Houston’s service industry and created a path out of poverty for the city’s janitors and their families.
Today, SEIU Local 1 in Houston represents 3,500 janitors, housekeeping, maintenance, and food service workers servicing office buildings, the City of Houston Jails, Texas Southern University, and Hitchcock Independent School District who are united in making our city stronger.