RALLY TO SUPPORT WORKERS ANNOUNCED FOR WEDNESDAY MORNING
| WHEN: | Wednesday, July 24 8:00 A.M.-9:00 A.M. |
WHERE: | 250/270 Wellington Street W, Toronto, ON |
TORONTO, July 23, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The janitors who clean the Icon Condominium towers at 250 and 270 Wellington Street West are holding a rally Wednesday, July 24 during the third week of their lockout, demanding Luciano Janitorial Services end the lockout and negotiate a fair contract.
Five janitors have been indefinitely locked out after rejecting the company’s latest offer.
“He is demanding we give away things we need,” says Villamor Castaneto, who has been working at the building for seven years. “Right now, all we want is for our employer to come back to negotiate so we can keep working and find a fair deal.”
Luciano Janitorial Services has demanded concessions and rejected all improvements put on the table by the cleaners.
The cleaning company wants workers like Emma Llanes to give up two out of her four yearly sick days and increase her monthly benefit contributions from the 20 per cent employee paid to 70 per cent.
“With the modest health benefits we get I can buy medication for my high blood pressure,” says Llanes, who has worked at the condo for six years. “Without those benefits, I will really struggle to get my medicine.”
Luciano Janitorial Services is offering a pay increase that will keep workers below the poverty line; a total of only 30 cents spread over three years. The workers currently make 14.50/hour or 15.25/hour depending on their job classification, and the standard set by City-Wide agreements negotiated just a few weeks ago is a $1.20 raise over three years. Other cleaners in the city were also able to win the start of a pension plan to begin in 2021. Luciano Janitorial Services has also rejected the janitor’s proposal to enter the pension plan.
Contact: Jorge Villatoro
647-640-3481
jvillatoro@seiulocal2.ca