OTTAWA, Feb. 11, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Large property owners, including the federal government and the City of Ottawa, and the cleaning companies they contract, have refused to pay janitors who, through no fault of their own, are losing much needed work hours. When you live paycheque-to-paycheque, this forces families to make impossible choices.
The convoy that has taken Ottawa hostage arrived nearly two weeks ago. While the dangers and annoyances it has caused have been well documented, not as evident is the impact they have had on the city’s working class – consider janitors for example.
Janitors have been working through the COVID-19 pandemic, playing a key role in sanitizing the city. Their work has made it safer for everyone and they have continued to clean while property owners never saw it fit to provide janitors with pandemic pay. These workers have risked their health and safety, riding crowded busses through lockdowns without the option to work from home.
Many of the city’s cleaners come from racialized communities and the majority are women. Although they are often left behind, through their union they have made important gains over the years, like annual pay increases, medical benefits and a pension plan. Still, many must work second and even third jobs just to make ends meet.
The occupation has resulted in the shutdown of many buildings in downtown Ottawa and blockades have, at times, prevented workers from getting to their jobs. Hundreds of incidents of intimidation, harassment and targeted racism have been reported and made the downtown core unsafe for workers.
SEIU Local 2 represents over 18,000 essential workers in Ontario, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Alberta. We are proud members of the largest, fastest growing and most dynamic union in North America.
Contact:
Diego Mendez
Communications Coordinator
416-476-7762
