SEIU Local 1 Essential St. Louis Janitors Rally and Hold Press Conference in Clayton to Fight for Good Janitorial Jobs and to Protect Standards for Working People
CLAYTON, MO — On August 26, essential janitors rallied and held a press conference at Regions Centre in Clayton, MO – a non-Union building – to demand good janitorial jobs with fair wages and job security that doesn’t undercut the standards that St. Louis working families deserve. Contracts impacting 1,600 janitors are set to expire soon, and Local 1 member leaders want to be clear: St. Louisans deserve good paying Union jobs..
Essential workers have been maintaining office buildings across St. Louis County for decades, including in Clayton – the legal and financial center of St. Louis. Despite their hard work, many are struggling to make ends meet, even while juggling two or three jobs. It's time for building owners and janitorial contractors profiting from their labor to provide sustainable Union jobs that strengthen the working class and, in turn, the local economy.
That is no different in the Regions Centre, which is owned by billionaire and appointed United States Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa, Jared Novelly. When workers struggle to meet basic needs, the entire economy suffers. Billionaires can no longer profit off the backs of working families without ensuring proper compensation for the essential work they do. It’s time for St. Louis working families to get the fair wages and job security they deserve. Across the country, workers are standing up and saying: enough is enough. The economy continues to favor the rich and powerful while everyday workers struggle under mounting financial pressures—it’s time to change that.
“St. Louis working families are feeling the pressure of the rising cost of living – from medical bills, to groceries, to rent, we’re struggling to stay afloat while building owners and decision makers continue to live comfortably from the profits made off the backs of working people,” said longtime Local 1 member and janitor Marla Lacey. “The greed needs to stop. It is time for building owners to respect the work we do and support the St. Louis working class by ensuring there are good paying janitorial jobs that uphold the standards that will allow us and others to get by.”
“St. Louisans are struggling to provide for themselves and their families, and today, St. Louis janitors stood up for themselves and spoke out about the situation they and many other working families throughout St. Louis are going through,” said Christian Rak, SEIU Local 1 Vice President and Director of Missouri & Southern Illinois. “Building owners and decision makers need to understand that these folks are asking for the things all workers deserve: fair wages and job security should be the bare minimum. They must respect the work these essential janitors do and respect St. Louis workers as a whole by upholding these union standards.”