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Members of Service Employees International Union Local 26 ratified bargaining goals Saturday, then joined community groups for a march against US Bank in a contract campaign focusing on economic and social justice issues.
The breadth of the campaign could be seen in the march down Central Avenue, where security officers and janitors walked alongside citizens concerned about climate change and community groups fighting home foreclosures. Also prominent was 15Now Minnesota and members of the MplsWorks coalition who support ordinances to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour and provide paid sick leave and fair scheduling for workers.
The campaign promises to be similar to earlier efforts such as “Unlock Our Future,” which resulted in gains for workers and took on foreclosures, discrimination in hiring, poor working conditions, even immigrants’ inability to send money home.
“Working people are facing a crisis, and rich corporations like US Bank and Wells Fargo need to hear our voices,” said Local 26 member and St. Paul security officer James Matias. “With our vote to come together and fight, along with this huge march, we are showing that our struggles are connected and that we are truly stronger together.”
The Local 26 contract proposal calls for:
- $15 minimum wage and a fair raise;
- Nine paid sick days per year, 12 weeks of paid maternity leave and affordable, quality health care coverage;
- Retirement with dignity;
- Strong union and job protections;
- Measures to address racial and gender disparities.
“Hundreds of SEIU members came together and voted to fight for things like paid sick time to be able to take care of ourselves and our families in our coming contract negotiations,” said Local 26 member Kevin Chavis, a security officer for Allied Barton in Minneapolis. “We work at some of the biggest, wealthiest buildings in the Twin Cities, yet we don’t get adequate paid time off or the wages that we deserve.”
Elia Starkweather, a Local 26 member who cleans the CSC Ameriprise building in Minneapolis, said, “We all want a better future for our kids. That is why we are coming together to fight for better conditions and dignity for the 6,000 workers in our union.”
Local 26 expects bargaining with cleaning contractors and security firms to begin by Nov. 1. The janitorial contracts expire at the end of December; the security contracts in February.
But the campaign will be much larger than those companies, union officials said. SEIU and its community allies plan to focus on US Bank, Wells Fargo, Delta Air Lines, Target and other large corporations they are calling “The Dirty Dozen.”
The campaign is focusing on how the practices of these companies affect the community and the environment, issuing reports such as, With Friends Like These: How US Bank and Wells Fargo Harm St. Paul Schools and Financing Climate Chaos: How Minnesota’s Banking Giants Prioritize Profit in the Face of Climate Change.
A Nov. 10 “Day of Action” and a Dec. 12 “People’s Congress” are among the activities planned.
“Today is just the beginning,” said Local 26 President Javier Morillo Alicea.