Aerospace Firms’ Janitors Strike

Janitors who clean offices of Boeing Co., Northrop Grumman Corp. and Raytheon Co. in El Segundo, Redondo Beach and Long Beach began walking off their jobs Wednesday after contract talks ended in an impasse.

It was not clear how many janitors took part in the “rolling” strike, but the union representing the workers said the contract affected about 700 janitors who work for firms that provide cleaning services to the three aerospace companies.

The Service Employees International Union said janitors began striking to protest wages and unfair labor practices by the three cleaning services: Servicon Systems Inc., Somers Building Maintenance Inc. and Aramark Corp.

The janitors take home about $1,000 a month with no healthcare, the union said.

Dick Davis, a labor relations consultant for the cleaning services, said the companies offered to raise hourly wages by 40 cents this year and 25 cents in 2006 with individual healthcare coverage in the third year. He said the janitors earn about $8 an hour.

A Boeing spokesman declined to comment about the strike, saying it was an “issue between the janitors and the cleaning services.”