Janitors Given $500,000 by Anonymous Donor

An anonymous donor gave striking janitors an enormous boost Tuesday by handing over a $500,000 check, which organizers said would help cover food, logistical support and emergency expenses as the strike runs into its second week.

Despite efforts by Mayor Richard Riordan, Cardinal Roger M. Mahony and developer Rob Maguire to break the impasse, both sides in the dispute remained far apart Tuesday.

Janitors expanded their strike to Pasadena and Long Beach, where hundreds encircled buildings and chanted at noon.

Union members also planned to set up a tent camp Tuesday night outside the West Los Angeles headquarters of one of the region’s largest commercial development companies, Arden Realty. They said they would maintain a vigil outside the World Savings Building at 11601 Wilshire Blvd. and at other buildings in El Segundo, Century City and Woodland Hills until a contract was signed.

The janitors’ bargaining committee huddled Tuesday, in part to consider modifying their demand for a $1 per hour raise each year for the next three years. But as of Tuesday evening, no revised counter-offer had been made.

Janitorial firms offered raises ranging from 80 cents to $1.30 over the next three years, depending on geographic area. That offer was overwhelmingly rejected by union members early last week. Janitors earn $6.80 to $7.90 per hour.

Contractors said some building owners have told them that the offer was adequate and that they should remain firm. Negotiator Dick Davis also said it was up to the union to make the next move, by bringing forward a “realistic” offer.

The dispute continued to center on the disparity between wages in outlying areas and the more highly unionized downtown and Century City office centers. Janitors earn about $1 per hour less in those outlying areas, which include Pasadena, Long Beach, Glendale, Santa Monica and Beverly Hills.

Contractors said they face far stiffer competition in the outlying areas from nonunion firms, which often pay the minimum wage of $5.75 per hour. Also, the strength of the real estate market varies widely. Although Santa Monica is booming, other areas, such as Long Beach and El Segundo, are struggling.

The janitorial contractors, which range from large national firms to smaller local companies, also noted that janitors in the lower-wage tier received substantial raises in January, when full medical benefits were added. They said an immediate $1-per-hour raise on top of that would cause many building owners to switch to nonunion firms.

Mike Garcia, president of the Service Employees International Union, said the bargaining committee was trying to find “creative ways” to deal with the wage disparities between groups of janitors.

The union has sought to deal directly with building owners, saying they are ultimately responsible for setting janitors’ wages. Maguire, who has large holdings in downtown Los Angeles and Pasadena, has agreed to serve as “quarterback” in putting the two sides together, a spokeswoman confirmed Tuesday.

Maguire put together a meeting between some building owners and janitors Monday night, but despite early optimism, the discussion broke no new ground. And several of the region’s largest developers were absent, including Richard Ziman, CEO of Arden Realty, a major commercial landlord in Southern California.

An Arden spokeswoman said Ziman is in London and has not been involved in the recent discussions.