Thursday, January 25, 2007

Minneapolis, MN – Change to Win Minnesota, the Minneapolis Central Labor Union Council (CLUC) and Teamsters Local 120 today announced the full support of more than 200,000 metro area union members in Twin Cities janitors’ fight for affordable family health care. Teamsters Local 120 Vice President and Chair of Change to Win Minnesota Brad Slawson, Jr. also announced that if forced to call a strike, Teamsters Local 120 will honor the janitors’ picket lines.

"The rising cost of health care is threatening our communities because it’s making it harder to pay the bills and pay for health care at the same time," said Slawson. "We need to move forward with good jobs that provide affordable health care. This fight isn’t just for janitors; it’s for every working person in this state."

Slawson, Minneapolis CLUC President Bill McCarthy, and Reverend Grant Stevensen of ISAIAH joined members of SEIU Local 26 at Minneapolis City Hall today to unveil a list of more than a 100 faith, elected and labor leaders who support the janitors fight for affordable family health care. The list is available at www.seiu26.org.

"Minnesota’s working families know firsthand what it means to make tough choices, like taking your kids to the doctor when you can’t afford it," said Bill McCarthy, president of the Minneapolis CLUC. "Health care is important to everyone in this state. We know that by standing together, we can make a difference for janitors and their families, and lead the way for affordable health care for all Minnesotans."

Fourteen out of 4,200 are enrolled in family health insurance through their employer and less than a quarter are enrolled in any health plan. Some family plans cost as much as $1,800 a month, which is roughly equal to the average monthly salary for a full-time janitor.

"Like most working people, we are struggling to make ends meet with health insurance that we just cannot afford," said Amelia Lopez, a janitor at Normandale Lake Office Park in Bloomington. "And we are taking a stand now for what is right – what is right for our families and what is right for Minnesota."

Reverend Grant Stevensen, a leader in the ISAIAH coalition of 85 Twin Cities area congregations and a pastor at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church in St. Paul, called on employers to work in good faith to reach a settlement that makes health care affordable for janitors and their families.

"The lack of access to affordable health care is a moral crisis and we cannot sit on the sidelines as this problem worsens," said Stevensen. "Business leaders, along with all members of our community, have a responsibility to ensure that all Minnesotans have access to quality, affordable health care."

Twin Cities janitors will return to the bargaining table next week. The janitors have been working without a contract for nearly four weeks and voted overwhelmingly on January 13 to walk off the job over their employers’ unfair labor practices. The vote authorized janitors representing 4,200 workers to call a strike if necessary, which means a metro-wide strike could be called any time.

Change to Win, a labor coalition consisting of six of the nation’s largest unions, unites over 140,000 working Minnesotans. The Minneapolis CLUC represents 125,000 members in the metro area. Teamsters Local 120 is the largest of its kind in Minnesota with over 11,000 members.