Twin Cities Janitors Demanding $15 An Hour Plan To Strike

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Thousands of Twin Cities janitors are set to walk off the job for 24 hours Wednesday in a dispute over wages and working conditions.

The Service Employees International Union represents more than 4,200 people who work for janitorial companies that clean office buildings, mostly in downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul. Local 26 President Javier Morillo says employee workloads and a $15 hourly wage for all workers remain major sticking points.

But John Nesse, a negotiator for the Minneapolis-St. Paul Contract Cleaners Association, says employers have already offered to raise wages about $15 an hour during the life of the contract, which would normally run three years.

The janitors' previous contract expired Dec. 31. Talks on a new deal began in October. More talks are set for Feb. 22.

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