March 03--Contact talks are set to begin Wednesday between nearly 12,000 janitors represented by the Service Employees International Union and various employers in the Chicago area.
The labor contracts are set to expire April 5. Employers include Chicago Public Schools contractors and the Building Owners and Managers Association of Chicago.
SEIU Local 1 said it wants, among other things, to narrow the wage gap between suburban and Chicago janitors. Wages for downtown janitors average $15.46 per hour while suburban janitors average $12.90 per hour, SEIU said.
Nationwide, the union represents more than 131,800 janitors whose contracts will expire between this year and next. The Chicago talks are the first of the negotiations to begin.
BOMA Chicago said it does not comment during the normal course of labor negotiations.
acancino@tribpub.com
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