VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 09, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Capilano University cleaners say $15 an hour is needed right now, not in 2021, as they prepare to take strike votes this week.
“For months, we have been asking for a Living Wage in our negotiations with Best Service Pros. Even $15 an hour is not considered a Living Wage in Vancouver. With $15 right now, we would be in a better position to get closer to a Living Wage,” said Analou Espina, one of the members of the SEIU Local 2 Bargaining Committee.
On Thursday, Premier John Horgan announced a phased wage increase schedule that would bring the minimum wage up to $12.65 an hour this June and would reach $15.20 in 2021.
The cleaners at Capilano University have been in first contract negotiations with their Employer, Best Service Pros, since September and have currently reached a deadlock in mediations.
The cleaners’ union drive with SEIU Local 2 and commencement of bargaining has given rise to a larger campus-wide campaign calling for a Living Wage and Benefits for all direct and contracted workers on campus.
SEIU Local 2 is also engaged with organizing Best Service Pros workers across the province.
SEIU’s Justice for Janitors is a movement of workers that has successfully organized to improve wages, benefits, and job security for over 7,000 janitors across Canada. SEIU’s goal is to organize all janitors in BC, so together, workers can raise industry standards and reverse the race to the bottom.
For more information, please visit www.justiceforjanitors.ca
The Service Employees International Union is the largest and fastest growing union in North America, with 100,000 workers in Canada and two million workers across Canada, the United States and Puerto Rico.
Contact Information
Christine Bro – 778-996-4008, cbro@seiulocal2.ca