HOUSTON—After three days of negotiations, Houston janitors reached a tentative agreement that includes wage increases and improved benefits. 

The contract will impact the lives of 3,200 Houston janitors and their families, continuing their path out of poverty, and will help strengthen Houston’s economy by providing good jobs with benefits.

“We won improvements today in this new contract.  And we’re changing our lives little by little,” said Conchita Blanco, member of the janitors’ bargaining committee.  “We stood together and we won for our families and our city.”

After nearly 2,000 janitors committed to strike if necessary, janitors reached the agreement with the city’s six largest cleaning contractors—ABM, Pritchard, ISS/Sanitors, GCA, UBM and Aztec—avoiding the chaos of 2006.  A coalition of more than 100 political, faith and community leaders supported the janitors’ efforts by calling on business leaders to work with the janitors and reach an agreement that would improve jobs and strengthen our economy.

The bargaining committee will present details of the agreement to their co-workers for their approval at a ratification vote this Saturday at The Plaza downtown.