Houston—While negotiations for job improvements for 3,200 Houston janitors continue, workers today are setting up a spooky, tongue-in-cheek “graveyard” to call attention to the serious issues—including low wages and lack of health care—that working families in Houston face today.

“People at the top of the economy in Houston are doing well,” says Beverly Ortiz, head of SEIU Local 1 in Houston. “But the graveyard points to the fact that hardworking people at the bottom are having trouble meeting their basic needs.”

The graveyard is being set up outside of Wedge International Tower (1415 Louisiana), a wealthy downtown office building cleaned by Professional Janitorial Services (PJS)—which is refusing to take part in ongoing negotiations with janitors to create the good jobs that can strengthen the economy.

By refusing to grant their workers the freedom to form a union, PJS has denied janitors the ability to make use of the Houston Service Workers Clinic, which allows employers to meet their health care obligation for just $185 a month, a fraction of the cost of traditional insurance plans. Health care is a prominent theme of the graveyard, with “tombstones” including “Here lies Fred the Cleaner, Caught a cold, Now he’s leaner,” “Here I lie, Caught swine flu, Grew a tail, Because of you,” and “When your office is a mess, And your toilet is dirty, Think of the janitor below, It ain’t so purdy.”

Low wages—which hold our economy back by limiting spending at local businesses—are another important theme. “Tombstones” related to poverty wages include “Here lies Owen Moore, Hard workin’ Houstonian, He went away, Owin’ more, Than he could pay,” “Otto B. Alive, Here I lie, I needed food, But my boss, Wasn’t in the mood,” and “Here lies Jan E. Tor, They paid her less, She needed more.” 

Janitors are currently paid $7.75 an hour and have access to quality health care for $20 a month. Through negotiations that began on Wednesday, they hope to reach a new agreement that brings justice to all stakeholders before the current agreement expires on November 20. Stakeholders include the cleaning contractors ABM, GCA, ISS/Sanitors, Aztec, and Pritchard, as well as building owners, workers, and our community. PJS has thus far refused to take part in the negotiations.