I, myself, got hurt on my knee. And basically the cops just basically used the horses to basically push us off, and they was trying to separate us in different direction, knowing that we were handcuffed. So they were using two horses—one to separate to the right and one to separate to the left. These are very big animals, and, I mean, they can really cause a lot of damage, even death.
But, I mean, it was uncalled for. We was doing a peaceful, you know, demonstration, you know, and it could have been handled—. I mean, it was really scary. I mean, I thought Houston was going to be my burial ground at that time, because, I mean, I felt like these horses were going to really crush us and really hurt us really bad. But, you know, thank God that we came out of it OK.
What she say? This is—they no—no stay here. How are you feeling now? This is good for everybody, the janitors. What happens next for you? This is more—the more victories, in next three years, more victories. This is our fight.
Then more next month. We had people come from all over, not only New York. We had people come from Sacramento, California, Milwaukee, Maryland.
I mean, it was a lot of different people from a lot of different places. So, I am honored and grateful that I was here to fight this fight with Houston. OK, you know, now I can sleep good and say that these people are being treated fairly, because, you know, they no longer will be invisible, and they will get the respect and the dignity that they deserve when they walk to their job sites.
And now I can truly say that, you know, everyone who participated in this made history in Houston. And we are going to win many more. You know, we was out here to help these janitors and push them and get this contract, get this contract signed for them. I mean, when we got that victory last night, you know, we celebrated, so we got to meet a lot of people from a lot of different places.
And, you know, we—some of us are going back, so we got to say our goodbyes. One of the thorniest negotiation issues was a dispute over the scope of certain previous contract language, which allowed contractors to bid for some accounts at rates below those in the contract.
Both sides made concessions on this. So what we really won is we kept the union. Following a trend in modern U. Rather, the work stoppage provided an anchor for a pressure campaign featuring public protests, media events, and political and religious appeals, whose primary target was the well-known companies that own the buildings janitors clean, not the contractors who directly employ them.
It has always been a struggle to make ends meet on the poverty wages at the airport. When workers like me work full-time, one job should be enough to care for our families. Cabin cleaners, wheelchair attendants, and other airport workers are on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic and play a critical role in stopping infections from spreading throughout the U. Any economic relief to the airline industry must also protect and invest in the airport workers whose health and livelihood is on the line.
Airport workers from coast to coast have proven that when we stand up for each other across our differences, we can truly change our lives. By speaking out and taking action, , airport workers have won raises and 32, have won a union with SEIU. Through our union, we can win what we need to provide a good life for our families—a roof over our heads, food on our tables, paid time off, and healthcare.
For too long, major airlines have boosted profits by creating a downward spiral of wages, benefits and professional standards for workers all while airlines rake in local and federal tax subsidies. Janitors in Houston captured national attention in after thousands of part-time, low wage janitors went on a month-long strike to win the union and won. Janitors in cities across our state have risen up to fight for a better Texas, where workers are paid fair wages, healthcare is affordable and accessible for all, and our rights on the job are respected.
We won these and more because we stood together in our union. Property services workers, whether they work in hospitals, airports, office buildings, or corporate campuses, are on the frontlines of the fight against the virus. Janitors are called on to deep clean and disinfect sites of known contamination.
As the virus continues to spread, property service workers—many of whom are immigrants and people of color—will play an important role in limiting the impact of the disease. Houston Janitors are part of the national Justice for Janitors campaign which includes more than , union janitors in over 30 cities across North America. Houston First Corporation is a local government corporation that operates the George R.
Houston strikers marched across the city with makeshift drums and maracas to make noise in protest of their working conditions. On November 15, , several hundred protesters gathered outside Chevron headquarters a company that employed the striking Janitors and protested with these noisemakers.
At this demonstration, 14 out-of-town protesters were arrested for chaining themselves to the front door of the building. Days later, 46 protesters from across the country were arrested when they blocked a downtown Houston intersection. Unfortunately for the protesters that blocked the intersection, their peaceful protest was met with violence at the hands of the Houston police.
As the janitors sat peacefully in the intersection, Houston police officers on horseback charged at them in an attempt to break apart the demonstration. During this encounter, photographers captured images of protesters being trampled by the horseback police. One of the protesters, an 83 year-old janitor from New York City, was hospitalized from the attack. One of the prime tactics being used by the SEIU and the Houston janitors was leveraging the media attention to shame the wealthy business leaders with international publicity about the poverty level of their cleaning staff.
For example, the campaign told the media about a Salvadoran immigrant that worked four-hour shifts cleaning an office building and was diagnosed with breast cancer, yet received no health insurance.
For three weeks these janitors remained on strike and staged numerous demonstrations until an agreement was reached with the cleaning companies. The cleaning companies also agreed to offer longer hours, paid holidays, vacation time, and health insurance starting in Although this campaign was extremely successful, with many gains being achieved by the striking janitors, not every demand was met.
For example, the companies refused to guarantee full-time work to the janitors or to fully pay for their health benefits. This campaign was part of the Justice For Janitors Movement, which included campaigns like "Los Angleles Justice for Janitors campaign for economic justice at Century City, " and "University of Miami janitors campaign for economic justice, ".
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