SEIU Wokers Reach Tentative Contract- Victory To SEIU LOcal 615!

Click on the headline to link to the SEIU Local 615 website for details of the tentative contract agreement. Markin comment: Victory to the janitors!/b>

From The Front Lines Of The Class Struggle- Victory To The SEIU Workers In Greater Boston-They Are Not Afraid To Strike

Dear Boston Labor Union Supporters, My name is Silvia and I am one of 14,000 janitors in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire represented by SEIU. Earlier today, we voted to authorize our leadership to call a strike, if necessary, to protest the unfair labor practices committed by our employers when we stood up for good jobs. Rather than paying fair wages and benefits and providing hours of work that can support a family, these employers reacted with illegal threats and intimidation. Will you stand with us? Our contract expires in just seven days. We desperately need more hours to earn enough to get by and raise our families. But we have seen little progress from our employers and the billion dollar companies whose offices we clean. Many of us get only 3 ½ hours’ work a day. That means having to do several jobs just to make ends meet. It also means that thousands of us are shut out of company-provided benefits. All families deserve to have healthcare when they get sick! I have worked in the cleaning industry for more than 30 years and I can tell you how much it matters to us to get better wages, more hours and healthcare. Please support us. http://action.seiu.org/stand-with-new-england-janitors We’re bargaining to get a deal, and not one of us wants to strike. But we will not accept threats and intimidation as we mobilize to get a good contract. We are standing for good jobs for us in New England and good jobs for all Americans. http://action.seiu.org/stand-with-new-england-janitors Thank you Silvia Clarke SEIU Local 615 SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION SEIU 1800 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036

Songs To While Away The Class Struggle By-From The Janitors For Justice Struggle

In this series, presented under the headline “Songs To While Away The Class Struggle By”, I will post some songs that I think will help us get through the “dog days” of the struggle for our communist future. I do not vouch for the political thrust of the songs; for the most part they are done by pacifists, social democrats, hell, even just plain old ordinary democrats. And, occasionally, a communist, although hard communist musicians have historically been scarce on the ground. Thus, here we have a regular "popular front" on the music scene. While this would not be acceptable for our political prospects, it will suffice for our purposes here. Markin.
**********
Gritos/Chant Sheet

Grito/Chant #1
Capitol escucha Estamos en la lucha

Grito/Chant #2
De norte a sur De este a oeste Ganaremos esta lucha Cueste lo que cueste

Grito/Chant #3
El pueblo unido jamas sera vencido

Grito/Chant #4
Esta lucha no se para
Ni con nieve! Ni con agua!

Grito/Chant #5
No pare Sigue Sigue

Grito/Chant #6
Que queremos? Justicia!!! Cuando? Ahora!!!

Grito/Chant #7
Estamos aquf en la calle porque
se puede
Si Se Puede
Marchando por la justicia porque
se puede
Si Se Puede
Exigiendo nuestros derechos
porque se puede
Si Se Puede

Grito/Chant #8
Arriba la Uni6n Aba jo la explotacion

Grito/Chant #9
Miren Escuchen Venga lo que venga Si aqui no hay justicia Aqui va haber candela

Grito/Chant #10
Se Puede? Si Se Puede!!!

Grito/Chaht #11
mira oye qve se mueve soinos el 9(>!!!
EngHsh/lngles

Grito/Chant #12
Hey people i
What
I got a story
What
I'll tell the whole wide world this is union territory

Grito/Chant #13
What disgusting Union Bustin Whats outrageous Poverty Wages

Grito/Chant #14
The people united
will never be defeated!!!

Grito/Chant #15
What do we want?
Justice!!!
When do we want it now?
NOW!!!

Grito/Chant #16
Move Capitol get out the way get out the way move get out the way

Grito/Chant #17
who's street our street!!

Grito/Chant #18
Were fired up
We cant take it no more

Grito/Chant #19
We are the 99% We are the 99%

This Justice for Janitors Day,Support Good Jobs for Our Communities!

This Justice for Janitors Day,Support Good Jobs for Our Communities!

Today is International Justice for Janitors Day, when we celebrate and recognize the hard work and sacrifice that prop­erty service workers across the world make. Today also marks the 10 year anniversary when thousands of janitors in the Boston region went on strike, to lift standards in the jani­torial industry. That fight continues: in Houston, Texas hun­dreds of janitors have already gone on strike in the hopes that they can improve their working conditions and win a better way of life.

Here in Massachusetts, a better way of life is on the horizon. Our economy is looking brighter, and has been outperform-
ji ing most of the rest of country during the recovery. Boston is among the fastest-recovering metropolitan areas in the country. One of the pillars of industry driving the Massachusetts economy is commercial real estate. Vacancy rates are going down and rents are going up, with the Back Bay neighborhood being one of the strongest markets in the nation.

This summer the 14,000 contracted janitors that work in the key industries that drive our state's economy will be negotiating a new contract to continue improving standards that they have fought so hard to achieve. Like so many, their hope is to share in the continued growth and prosperity that those at the very top have enjoyed.

Unfortunately, here in Back Bay those at the top are not working to achieve this vision. Capital Prop­erties, the owner of 31 St. James Avenue, recently made the decision to hire an irresponsible contractor, Crystal Bright, to provide cleaning services there. The dedicated janitors who cleaned this building for years were not offered employment and have been displaced. The decision to hire this irresponsible contractor, who pays poverty wages, threatens the standards for janitors across the region.

Join us to demand a shared prosperity, and a New England that works
for everyone!

Visit our website at www.seiu615.org to learn
more about Justice for Janitors and a
New England that works for everyone

SEIU Local 615 * 26 West St. Boston, MA 02111 * 617-523-6150-*seiu615.org* facebook.com/seiu615 * @seiu615

From The SEIU Boston-The Struggle Continues- Victory To The 31 Saint James Street Janitors! All Out Today Friday June 6th 4:00-6:00 PM

Justice for Janitors Day, Friday, June 15th, kicks off a week of actions to win for the 99%.

On Friday June, 15th, we are going to take the streets in front of 31 St. James. One month ago building owner Capital Properties kicked out the union cleaning company for a non-union, poverty-wage company. 20 members of the SEIU Local 615, many of whom had dedicated over 10 years of service, lost their jobs.
Despite ongoing actions, a visit to CEO Richard Cohen’s New York office AND home, and a petition signed by over 100 tenants, he still refuses to respect the rights of cleaners to make a living wage.

Join us on Friday, June 15th, Justice for Janitors Day
Tell Richard Cohen: Bring back union cleaners!

Park Square Building, 31 St. James Street in the Back Bay
4pm – 6pm.

From The SEIU Boston-The Struggle Continues- Victory To The 31 Saint James Street Janitors! All Out Friday June 6th 4:00-6:00 PM

Justice for Janitors Day, Friday, June 15th, kicks off a week of actions to win for the 99%.

On Friday June, 15th, we are going to take the streets in front of 31 St. James. One month ago building owner Capital Properties kicked out the union cleaning company for a non-union, poverty-wage company. 20 members of the SEIU Local 615, many of whom had dedicated over 10 years of service, lost their jobs.
Despite ongoing actions, a visit to CEO Richard Cohen’s New York office AND home, and a petition signed by over 100 tenants, he still refuses to respect the rights of cleaners to make a living wage.

Join us on Friday, June 15th, Justice for Janitors Day
Tell Richard Cohen: Bring back union cleaners!

Park Square Building, 31 St. James Street in the Back Bay
4pm – 6pm.

Songs (Chants Today)To While Away The Class Struggle By-In Honor Of The SEIU Saint James Street (Boston) Janitors

Markin comment:

In this series, presented under the headline “Songs To While Away The Class Struggle By”, I will post some songs that I think will help us get through the “dog days” of the struggle for our communist future. I do not vouch for the political thrust of the songs; for the most part they are done by pacifists, social democrats, hell, even just plain old ordinary democrats. And, occasionally, a communist, although hard communist musicians have historically been scarce on the ground. Thus, here we have a regular "popular front" on the music scene. While this would not be acceptable for our political prospects, it will suffice for our purposes here. Markin.
***********
Chant Sheet

Chant #1 Boston escucha . Estamos en la lucha

Chant #2 De norte a sur De este a oeste Ganaremos esta lucha Cueste lo que cueste

Chant #3
Con la Union
Pa lante Siempre Pa'Iante
Con el Pueblo
Pa'Iante Siempre Pa'Iante
Nuestros ninos
Pa'Iante Siempre Pa'Iante
Unidos
Pa'Iante Siempre Pa'Iante

Chant #4
Esta lucha no se para
Ni con nieve! Ni con agua!

Chant #5 No pare Sigue Sigue

Chant #6 Que queremos? Justicia!!! Cuando? Ahora!!!

Chant #7
Estamos aqui en la calle porque se puede
Si Se Puede
Marchando por la justicia porque se puede
Si Se Puede
Exigiendo nuestros derechos porque se
puede
Si Se Puede

Chant #7
Arriba la Union Abajo la explotacion

Chant #8 Miren Escuchen Venga lo que venga Si aqui no hay justicia Aqui va haber candela

Chant #9 Se Puede? Si Se Puede!!!

Chant #10

Hey people What
I got a story What
I'll tell the whole wide world this is union territory

Chant #11
Ante up!
We want good jobs
Ante up!
We'll fight the boss!
Ante up!
We need healthcare
Ante up!
WE AINT GOING NOWHERE!

Chant #12

Here's a little story that must be told
About a big bad union with so much soul
SEIU
Is on a roll
Fighting hard organize
All across the globe

Chant #13 Mira! Oye! Que se mueve? Somos el 99!

Chant #14

Cuando luchamos? Ganamos! When we fight? We win!

From The SEIU Boston-The Struggle Continues- Victory To The Saint James Street Janitors!

Capital Properties, the owner of 31 St. James Avenue, recently made the decision to hire an irresponsible contractor, Crystal Bright, to
provide cleaning services there. Crystal Bright pays poverty wages, and did not make an offer of employment to the dedicated contracted janitors who had cleaned the building for years.

Crystal Bright is a bottom feeder that undermines regional wage and labor standards. These types of irresponsible contractors often use tactics to undercut responsible contractors, such as denying workers a voice
on the job or misclassifying workers as independent contractors in order to avoid paying payroll taxes and workers compensation insurance.

Today, a delegation of the displaced contracted janitors and community supporters traveled to New York City to speak with Capital Properties about the company's decision to hire an irre­sponsible contractor and how it harms hardworking families in Boston.

Over the past several years, the janitorial industry as whole — including workers, cleaning contractors, building owners, elected leaders, and the Boston community at large - have come together to ensure that Boston is lifting the standards of the janitorial industry. In 2002, thousands of janitors in the Boston region went on strike to improve the standards of the cleaning industry. In the coming months, 14,000 janitors will be negotiating a new contract to continue improving standards for this industry.

Crystal Bright is trying to turn good jobs into bad by undermining the standards that Boston has worked so hard to create. As a building owner, Capital Properties can ensure that the cleaning jobs at 31 St. James are good , jobs—not poverty-wage jobs—by choosing a responsible
cleaning contractor.

Please call Capital Properties at 212-980-0090 and urge them to help create good jobs, not poverty-wage jobs, for property service workers in Boston.

seiu615.org * SEIU Local 615 * 26 West St. Boston, MA 02111 * 617-523-6150 * facebook.com/seiu615 * @seiu615
Crystal Bright unfair. No request to cease services or deliveries.

All Out In Boston In Support Of The Fired 31 Saint James Street SEIU Janitors On May 24th At 4:00 PM

Remarks made by a member of Veterans For Peace at the May 9th 31 Saint James Street Boston rally in solidarity with our embattled SEIU sister and brother janitors.

Sisters and brothers, hermanas y hermanos, we of Veterans for Peace stand in solidarity with our hard-working fellow workers trying to get some justice in this wicked old world and not let them lose their jobs to some faceless corporation seeking to play “the race to the bottom” for their own profits.

I, personally, stand in solidarity as well, because back in the day I too worked for a time as a janitor right over here at Emerson College in the dark of night. That was just to earn some dough. Later, when I got more politically savvy, I was a janitor in a unionized automobile plant. So I KNOW that the brother and sister janitors working at 31 Saint James Street are hard-working. Buffing the floors, vacuuming the rugs, dusting this and that, emptying wastepaper baskets, and, well, cleaning the restrooms, and no offense to the mujeres, in the audience, theirs were the worst to clean. You janitors know what I mean, right? The office buildings, the factories, the industrial and high tech parks don’t just clean themselves. It takes honest work by the forgotten and unseen obreros to do it. And they should be paid well and have job security for their efforts.

Now Veterans for Peace is best known for its militant anti-war work, especially in these days of permanent war just now centered in Afghanistan but next year who knows where once the imperial government rears its hind legs. But VFP has also participated in the anti-capitalist struggles around Bank of America and home foreclosures and the like. Think about it though, the struggle against war, the struggle against the profit-gouged banks and their predatory practices and the struggle against the race to the bottom capitalists for labor dignity and some social and economic justice. Mi amigos they are all the same struggle, the same fight. So as the old time militant labor slogan goes- an injury to one is an injury to all. Venceramos.

Victory To The Saint James Street (Boston) Janitors-Remarks made by a member of Veterans For Peace at the May 9th 31 Saint James Street Boston rally in solidarity with our embattled SEIU sister and brother janitors.

Click on headline to link ot Boston.com articel about the Saint James Street janitors.

Remarks made by a member of Veterans For Peace at the May 9th 31 Saint James Street Boston rally in solidarity with our embattled SEIU sister and brother janitors.


Sisters and brothers, hermanas y hermanos, we of Veterans for Peace stand in solidarity with our hard-working fellow workers trying to get some justice in this wicked old world and not let them lose their jobs to some faceless corporation seeking to play “the race to the bottom” for their own profits.

I, personally, stand in solidarity as well, because back in the day I too worked for a time as a janitor right over here at Emerson College in the dark of night. That was just to earn some dough. Later, when I got more politically savvy, I was a janitor in a unionized automobile plant. So I KNOW that the brother and sister janitors working at 31 Saint James Street are hard-working. Buffing the floors, vacuuming the rugs, dusting this and that, emptying wastepaper baskets, and, well, cleaning the restrooms, and no offense to the mujeres, in the audience, theirs were the worst to clean. You janitors know what I mean, right? The office buildings, the factories, the industrial and high tech parks don’t just clean themselves. It takes honest work by the forgotten and unseen obreros to do it. And they should be paid well and have job security for their efforts.

Now Veterans for Peace is best known for its militant anti-war work, especially in these days of permanent war just now centered in Afghanistan but next year who knows where once the imperial government rears its hind legs. But VFP has also participated in the anti-capitalist struggles around Bank of America and home foreclosures and the like. Think about it though, the struggle against war, the struggle against the profit-gouged banks and their predatory practices and the struggle against the race to the bottom capitalists for labor dignity and some social and economic justice. Mi amigos they are all the same struggle, the same fight. So as the old time militant labor slogan goes- an injury to one is an injury to all. Venceramos.

From The May 9th Saint James Street (Boston) Janitors (SEIU) Rally

Click on headline to link ot the May 9th Saint James Street (Boston) Janitors (SEIU) Rally.

Markin comment:

Victory to the janitors. Venceramos!

In Boston -Victory To The Janitors-Join Tenants and Boston City Council in Supporting Contracted Janitors at 31 St. James-All Out In Support-Friday May 11-4:00PM

Click on the headline to link to a SEIU Facebook event page on behalf of the beleaguered janitors.

Join Tenants and Boston City Council in Supporting Contracted Janitors at 31 St. James

The hardworking contracted janitors that clean 3TSt. James face losing their jobs this Friday due to no fault of their own, even though many of them have worked here for years. The building owner has decided to hire an irresponsible contrac­tor who has made no commitment to offer these workers the opportunity for continued employment.

Please help ensure that the contracted janitors at 31 St. James can provide
for their families. Join the 150 tenants, visitors, and members of the
Boston City Council in voicing your support for these workers.

"If they could take a moment to walk in our shoes, and let us keep what little we have, that would mean a lot."

Rosa Garcia (pictured left with two grandchildren) is one of the con­
tracted janitors at 31 St. James that faces losing their jobs on Friday.
She is the legal guardian of her 6 grandchildren, and also supports her
mother. She was laid off from her second job at a clothing factory when it went bankrupt last year, and now relies soiely on her job at 31 St. James Street to support her family. Rosa worries that her family's home in Lynn will be foreclosed on if she loses her job at 31 St. James. "This job feeds my family," Rosa says. "I may not be able to buy everything my grandchildren want, but at least with this income, I can afford the things they need to survive."

"I'm already struggling to provide for my family. My children need food, clothes, and money for school expenses. I don't know how I will support my kids if Hose this job."

Claudia Chavez (pictured right) has worked at 31 St. James for 8 years. She is worried about how she will support her 10 year-old son and 4 year-old daugh­ter if she loses her job on Friday. Claudia's family is already having difficulty making ends meet because she recently had to pay $3,200 out-of-pocket for treatment for a dental infection, which is three and a half months worth of rent.

Please sign petition today
to support the hardworking contracted janitors at 31 St. James.
seiu615.org * SEIU Local 615 * 26 West St. Boston, MA 02111 * 617-523-6150 * facebook.com/seiu615 * @seiu615

No request to cease services or deliveries.