Community

D.C. Council Members Participate in Rally for ‘Justice for Janitors’ Day

WASHINGTON INFORMER — Honoring the 29th anniversary of “Justice for Janitors Day,” D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson and Councilmember Elissa Silverman readied to join hundreds of 32BJ SEIU janitors to march downtown during Wednesday afternoon rush hour to protest a non-union cleaning contractor under investigation by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for sexual harassment, after settling with the National Labor Relations Board for several federal labor charges.

Published

7 years ago

June 24, 2019

Oakland Post

By WI Web Staff

Honoring the 29th anniversary of “Justice for Janitors Day,” D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson and Councilmember Elissa Silverman readied to join hundreds of 32BJ SEIU janitors to march downtown during Wednesday afternoon rush hour to protest a non-union cleaning contractor under investigation by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for sexual harassment, after settling with the National Labor Relations Board for several federal labor charges.

“Without 32BJ SEIU, it’s likely that janitorial workers would remain at the bottom of the working class,” Mendelson said. “This is about decent wages for hard work.”

In the mid-1990s, janitors made history when they blocked the Roosevelt Bridge demanding and winning living wages, employer-paid benefits and respect.

“Janitorial workers are key behind-the-scenes players in D.C.’s economy,” Silverman said. “It‘s a challenging job for little pay, and I hope this rally will be the start of good faith negotiations that ensure they earn a living wage.”

32BJ janitors, who are marching in support of non-union cleaners employed by K&S cleaners employed by K&S Management and Supply, Inc., will soon bargain a new four-year union contract that expires on Oct. 15, 2019. K&S is an aberration in D.C., where the vast majority of offices are cleaned by companies who hold contracts with 32BJ that cover 11,000 workers in the D.C. area and Baltimore.

In 2018, K&S violated D.C. Wage and Hour Law by failing to provide workers with paychecks that indicate how much they make per hour. K&S was accused of failing to pay the minimum wage to workers in D.C. Only after workers signed petitions and asked for tenant support did K&S provide corrected pay stubs. It still remains unclear whether K&S management underpaid employees because of their questionable pay stubs.

In March, the NLRB found merit in several allegations that K&S violated the law by firing a worker, unjustly disciplining a worker in D.C., as well as committing threats, interrogations and surveillance of workers. Although K&S denied the charges, the company settled and paid over $1,500 in back pay to the discharged employee, an immediate offer for full reinstatement to his job, and posted notices of their actions.

“Before I had a union, I had to miss my parents’ funeral and couldn’t see a doctor because my boss threatened to fire me if I took time away,” said Ana Hernandez, a 32BJ member and single mother of three who cleans offices at 701 13th St. NW. “The union is so important because the better wages and benefits allow us to take care of our health and spend more time raising our kids so they aren’t out on the street.”

On June 15, 1990, more than 400 janitors in Los Angeles held a peaceful rally after contractors threw out the union, cut their pay to minimum wage and stripped janitors of all benefits. As the workers locked arms to cross the street, they were beaten back by baton-wielding police officers. Thirty-eight marchers were wounded and arrested, and since then, June 15 has been memorialized as “Justice for Janitors Day.” Today, more than 134,000 union janitors nationwide are united to win strong contracts to benefit all communities.

With more than 173,000 members in nine states, including 20,000 in the D.C. metropolitan area, 32BJ SEIU is the largest property service workers’ union in the country.

This article originally appeared in the Washington Informer.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

International African American Museum CEO Departure Part Of Internal Timeline

Don't Miss

Ava DuVernay’s “When They See Us” Wins Mass Attention for Focus on Falsely Accused Central Park Five

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Community

Four Candidates, Including Incumbent Barbara Lee, Qualify for Oakland Mayor’s Race

POST NEWS GROUP — Four candidates, including incumbent Mayor Barbara Lee, filed their papers to run for office by last Friday’s deadline, and the City Clerk issued a list this week of those who are qualified to run.

Published

16 hours ago

August 15, 2026

bpusa-syndication

View of downtown Oakland, California and City Hall. iStock photo.

By Post Staff

The four mayoral candidates who will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot are:

Brenda Grisham. A business owner in East Oakland and public safety advocate, Grisham led the successful recall campaign against Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price. As part of her platform, she pledges to work with local, state, and federal partners to secure stricter gun control measures and investments in community violence intervention programs.

Barbara Lee. A former congressional representative and state Assembly member, Lee was elected by voters in a special election last year for a two-year term. Now running for a four-year term, she points out that her administration achieved major successes in addressing some of the city’s major challenges, including balancing the city budget, dramatically reducing crime, and making significant inroads into homelessness and illegal dumping.

Mindy Pechenuk. An educator and activist, Pechenuk is a registered Republican and supporter of Lyndon LaRouche, who has been described by observers as a conspiracy theorist and cult leader. She ran unsuccessfully for mayor in last year’s special election and for the at-large council seat in 2024. She seeks to end Oakland’s police commission and MACRO and invest in more police while launching a new local war on drugs.

Julius Robinson. While little information is available so far about Robinson, he was quoted in a KTVU story about Thao’s recall, stating that people in Oakland want to come together as a community but lack infrastructure and leadership.

bpusa-syndication

Posts by bpusa-syndication

Black History

Oakland Observes Black August with Block Parties, Film Showings, Workshops

POST NEWS GROUP — Beginning in 1979 in San Quentin State Prison, the Black Guerrilla Family called for the remembrance of political prisoner George Jackson and his brother Jonathan Jackson who were assassinated in the early 1970s. George Jackson was considered a political prisoner in that it was the anti-Black justice system that led to his incarceration for armed robbery with a sentence of one year-to-life in 1960.

Published

18 hours ago

August 15, 2026

bpusa-syndication

George Jackson wrote two books: “Soledad Brother,” and “Blood in My Eye” before her was killed in an attempt to escape prison on Aug. 21, 1971.

By Jana Lang, Propel Youth Reporter

Study. Train. Fast. Fight.

These are the four tenets of Black August, a month dedicated to commemorating the sacrifices of political prisoners and Black revolutionaries in the struggle for Black liberation.

Observers are urged to study the history of the Black struggle for freedom, train their bodies for health and self-defense, fast to cleanse the mind, body, and spirit, and fight ongoing oppression alongside their communities and local political organizations.

Beginning in 1979 in San Quentin State Prison, the Black Guerrilla Family called for the remembrance of political prisoner George Jackson and his brother Jonathan Jackson who were assassinated in the early 1970s. George Jackson was considered a political prisoner in that it was the anti-Black justice system that led to his incarceration for armed robbery with a sentence of one year-to-life in 1960.

While in prison, George befriended fellow prisoner W.L. Nolen, who introduced him to the works of Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Mao Zedong, and Frantz Fanon. This radicalization coupled with his experiences of violence while imprisoned led to him writing and publishing two books, “Soledad Brother” (1970), and “Blood in my Eye” (1972). In January of 1970, George and two other prisoners were charged with murdering a corrections officer at Soledad State Prison in Monterey County.

On Aug. 7, 1970, Jonathan Jackson burst into a Marin County courtroom armed with a shotgun to demand the freedom of the Soledad Brothers. He, along with the inmates he freed, was shot and killed while driving away. This involved one of the Black Panther Party’s most notable associates, Angela Davis, because the shotgun was registered in her name. She was later acquitted of charges of conspiracy, kidnapping, and murder in 1972.

On Aug. 21, 1971, George Jackson was assassinated by a corrections officer after attempting to escape and free other inmates. As a result, there were uprisings and protests within prisons all over the country that year, calling forth resistance against racial oppression and mass incarceration.

Since its outset, Black August has evolved across the country, taking many forms to honor this history and embody the four tenets.

In Oakland, the upcoming Black August Experience, hosted by Youth Alive! and the East Oakland Boxing Association (EOBA), is a free, family-friendly event celebrating the legacy of Black August. Activities include free food and drinks, a kids’ activity zone, interactive workshops, live cooking and boxing demonstrations, and more.

Happening on Aug. 21 from 4-8 p.m. at the EOBA Patio, Carolyn Flynn, director of administration at EOBA, said the event, in its second year, will be an opportunity to engage with people in person through food, shared space, and education.

“We do regular classes in education, and those are ongoing programs that we offer, but we wanted to have [an opportunity] for our neighbors to utilize this space.” Combined with Youth Alive’s work in community violence prevention and youth leadership, this event surely aims to bring the Oakland community together to capture what Black August means today.

Here are additional Black August events happening in Oakland:

Forum and Community Discussion hosted by the Oakland Liberation Center, 1499 Fruitvale Ave., Aug. 14, 7 p.m.

“George Jackson/San Quentin” Screening hosted by Nostalgic for Nothing Cinema at Moments Co-Op, 410 13th St., Aug. 16, doors at 6 p.m., show at 6:30 p.m. (Masks required and scent-free)

Commemorating the Struggle, Building the Altar for Liberation: Black August at Bandung Books, 2269 International Blvd., Aug. 23rd, 1-5 p.m.

Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS), will host “Black August: The Arc of Liberation” at Oakland City Hall on Sat. Aug. 29, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.