Officials Marching With Janitors Are Arrested

As janitors and contractors returned to the bargaining table Friday afternoon for what could be a weekend of marathon talks, police in Westwood arrested more than two dozen protesters, including Assembly members Gloria Romero, Gil Cedillo and Scott Wildman.

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Jackie Goldberg and Santa Monica City Councilman Paul Rosenstein, as well as a rabbi, a priest and seven top officials from local unions, also were arrested.

The arrests followed another boisterous march by about 1,500 striking janitors, this time winding through posh Bel-Air. As people who appeared to be maids and gardeners stepped out of million-dollar homes to watch, the marchers chanted in Spanish, “Let the wealthy clean. We’re on strike.”

Traffic was snarled along Wilshire Boulevard from noon until the beginning of afternoon rush hour. The march, which started at Beverly Glen Boulevard, ended at the intersection of Wilshire and Gayley Avenue, which was clogged by hundreds of protesters until police ordered them to move.

Most moved to the sidewalks, but about 30, including the lawmakers, sat in a circle in the middle of the intersection, holding hands and singing until they were arrested.

Goldberg said she was willing to be arrested “because I want there to be no mistake about my commitment to this issue. These workers deserve a living wage.”

Janitors voted to strike nearly two weeks ago, after rejecting a final offer from janitorial service contractors that would have lifted some wages by 80 cents per hour over three years, others by $1.30. Janitors were seeking a $3 per hour raise spread evenly over three years.

About 8,500 janitors belong to the Service Employees International Union, earning $6.80 to $7.90 per hour with full family health benefits.

Eighteen janitorial firms are involved in the negotiations for a new master contract covering about 70% of the office space in Los Angeles County, including nearly all of downtown and Century City.

Janitors and contractors sat down to bargain for most of the afternoon Thursday, breaking an 11-day freeze in negotiations. The two sides sat in separate rooms while prominent building owner Rob Maguire shuttled between them to exchange ideas.

Several of those present said that some progress was made, but that both sides were still far apart on wages, particularly for janitors who work in outlying areas such as Pasadena, Glendale, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica and Long Beach.

In those areas there is less union density, and contractors said building owners would be more likely to switch to lower-wage nonunion firms if the contract was set too high. Janitors in those areas already earn about $1 per hour less.

SEIU officials said Vice President Al Gore has agreed to march with the janitors Sunday. The time and location have not been set.