The labor union representing more than 2,400 janitors won a new contract late Wednesday that increases their wage to $15 an hour by 2020 and broadens health care coverage to three outlying metro Denver counties, the union announced.
Members of the Service Employees International Union Local 105 are employed by 27 cleaning companies that operate in 180 buildings around the metro area. The membership is expected to vote on ratifying the contract July 9.
The four-year contract goes into after ratification and along with pay raises will not increase health care costs, SEIU said in a statement.
“We have helped raise the living standards for workers in the Denver metro area and winning a path to $15 will help the local economy for years to come,” said Patricia Robles, a janitor for ABM and vice president of SEIU Local 105. “It shows other workers that when you unite together, you can win.”
The contract comes three years after Fight for $15 actions began nationally, where rallies were held to increase minimum wages to $15 an hour. Earlier this year, security guards at Denver International Airport who were SEIU members won pay raises to $15 an hour.
The movement began in November 2012 when fast-food workers walked off the job across the country. Workers complained that wages were too low to prevent them from relying on public assistance programs such as food stamps to supplement their income.
“This victory means a lot to me and my family. Right now my wages are so low I can’t even afford to take my children to the doctor when they are sick,” said Cristina Rodriguez, a janitor for ABLE. “But $15 allows me to raise my family with dignity.”
