Best, Worst Janitor Employers in Hollywood to Be Recognized

Forget the Emmys. Here come the Golden Broom Awards.

Seeking to “lift the curtain” on the plight of Hollywood’s janitors, union organizers have created their own award competition to recognize the studios with the best and worst records.

Union officials acknowledge that janitors at most major studios earn fair wages and benefits. But they allege that others work in illegal and unsafe conditions and struggle to support their families because of low wages and a lack of health insurance.

“Hollywood needs to clean up its act and take responsibility for the hard-working janitors that clean its facilities,” said Mike Garcia, president of Local 1877 of the Service Employees International Union.

The union, which held a news conference Thursday to announce the awards, has been leading a statewide drive to organize janitors. About 300 janitors in Hollywood are covered under union contracts, while about 400 work for nonunion janitorial services.

And the Golden Broom Award nominees for the best studios for janitors are: Sony, DreamWorks, Warner Bros. and Paramount.

Nominees for the worst overall place for janitors: NBC Universal and Warner Music Group. Nonunion janitors at those companies are paid “poverty wages” of $7 an hour, according to union officials. They also don’t get guaranteed meal breaks, health insurance or the training that unionized janitors receive, union officials said.

In a statement Thursday, Warner Music said, “We take matters of working conditions and compensation very seriously. Because these janitorial workers are employees of an outside contractor, these issues can be most effectively addressed directly between the workers and the outside contractor.”

An NBC Universal spokesman said 80% of its janitor positions have union contracts but declined to comment further.

The janitors have garnered support from Hollywood’s major guilds.

“We’re working under the same roof as these people and we see a just cause,” said Patric M. Verrone, president of the Writers Guild of America, West, who spoke at the news conference with Screen Actors Guild President Alan Rosenberg.

Golden Broom winners will be announced Saturday at Spago, where NBC Universal -- the favorite to win the worst workplace distinction -- is hosting a party for the Emmy Awards the next day.