Warren rallies with janitors for better pay and working conditions
By Laura Crimaldi GLOBE STAFF SEPTEMBER 10, 2016
Thousands of union janitors and supporters from nearby states rallied and marched in downtown Boston Saturday — with US Senator Elizabeth Warren as a key speaker — to demand higher pay and more opportunities for full-time work as they negotiate a new contract.
“This city needs you,” Warren told the crowd gathered on Boston Common. “These gleaming towers around us, well, they wouldn’t be so gleaming if it weren’t for the people who came in every night, who worked hard, who dusted, who vacuumed, who emptied the trash, who kept it all going for the rest of us.”
Contracts for about 13,000 janitors who provide cleaning services for places like the Prudential Center, Northeastern University, and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority expire on Sept. 30, said Roxana Rivera, vice president of Local 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union, which represents the workers.
About 70 percent of the workers have part-time jobs, but the union is pushing for more full-time work so more members can qualify for employer-subsidized health insurance, Rivera said.
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http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/09/10/elizabeth-warren-rallies-with-janitors-for-better-pay-and-working-conditions/3p90YLPSVMz2mcQjESn4ZI/story.html
