32BJ Reaches Contract Deal With Connecticut Landlords

January 9, 2016
By Steven Wishnia and Neal Tepel 

Hartford, Conn.—SEIU Local 32BJ reached a tentative contract deal covering about 2,100 janitors in the Hartford and New Haven areas Dec. 30, one day before their old contract expired.

If ratified, the four-year agreement with the Hartford Cleaning Contractors Association will eventually give janitors in Hartford and its suburbs, who currently make $13.55 to $15.10 an hour, a $1.60 raise. About 300 New Haven cleaners will get a raise from $12.40 to $14.10. The contract also increases the amount of sick days workers get, the union said, and doesn’t require them to pay health-insurance premiums. “We're relieved to have a deal on the table that will keep us working and that helps us keep up with rising costs,” said Ali Faatth, who cleans at the New Haven courthouse. Read more