|
|
|
Uploaded: Thursday, November 15, 2012, 1:58 PM
Updated: Friday, November 16, 2012, 11:23 AM
City blames contractors for janitor job losses
|
|
by Daniel DeBolt
Mountain View Voice Staff
Photo
 | After janitors protested job losses and pay cuts Thursday, city officials shifted the blame for the cuts onto the city's janitorial service providers.
The janitors say most of them lost their jobs and others lost most of their income in the city's recent switch to a non-union janitor service. About a dozen janitors held a small protest in front of City Hall on Thursday.
Just over a dozen workers held up banners that said, "Respect our contract" and "What do we want? Affordable healthcare." They urged the city to find a union janitorial service that could rehire them.
The SEIU-represented employees say that the city terminated its agreement with their company, GCR, when it refused to pay for increased benefit costs in a new contract. The city then temporarily hired a non-union janitor service, which, by law, was supposed to rehire all the janitors, said Rafael Ramos, internal organizer for the SEIU.
Instead, only five of the 14 were hired, Ramos said. One worker said his hours were cut from 40 hours a week to 12, his pay cut from $13.70 an hour to $9.25, and all health care, seniority, vacation and sick leave benefits were lost.
"The new company, they don't have anything," the worker said as Ramos interpreted. "Just $9.25 an hour -- that's it."
City officials had a different take, pointing the finger at the janitor's employer, GCR, for giving up on contract negotiations and issuing a 10-day notice to the city to find a new janitorial service provider.
"After many months of negotiating, GCA issued a cancellation notice with 10 days' notice to the City," said Kimberly Thomas, assistant to the city manager, in an email. "The City had to secure temporary services in the interim with IMS until it bids for a new provider. Second, because GCA terminated janitorial services to the City (with 10-days' notice), the Janitorial Displacement Act does not apply. The City still took multiple measures to provide an opportunity for the temporary vendor, IMS Janitorial, to consider GCA employees for employment."
Thomas stressed that the IMS contract is a temporary one until a new janitorial service provider could be found.
A city employee walking by said he knew some of the janitors and said felt bad for them, particularly the ones who had learned the city well and went above and beyond their duties as janitors.
"It's a bad time of year, it's terrible, with the holidays and Thanksgiving coming up," the employee said.
Are you receiving Express, our free daily e-mail edition? See a sample and sign-up for Express.
|
|
| Comments
|
Posted by HL, a resident of the Old Mountain View neighborhood, on Nov 15, 2012 at 2:25 pm "After most of lost their jobs and others lost most of their compensation, ..."
What the hell is THAT?
|
|
Posted by Sparty, a resident of the Shoreline West neighborhood, on Nov 15, 2012 at 2:38 pm Wow was this a union or non-union editor that approved this article?
|
|
Posted by vfree, a resident of the Waverly Park neighborhood, on Nov 15, 2012 at 2:39 pm Welcome to the real world. We should cut the number council members to 5 now.
|
|
Posted by jupierk, a resident of the Gemello neighborhood, on Nov 15, 2012 at 2:41 pm it would be nice if the writer goes through the article before sending it to publish. is there even an Editor at this newspaper?
Coming to the important matter, I am surprised the city took this option. Is this another way to support undocumented aliens? I am not even sure if the current workers are legal or undocumented? We sure have become a society of law violators? How about employing undocumented aliens in other jobs like library, IT, city council, finance, police, Fire, etc..?
|
|
Posted by Waldo, a resident of the Waverly Park neighborhood, on Nov 15, 2012 at 3:04 pm
Waldo is a member (registered user) of Mountain View Online Some decent, hard-working people got screwed, just so we MV taxpayers could save about a dollar per year, probably much less. We should be ashamed.
|
|
Posted by Otto Maddox, a resident of the Monta Loma neighborhood, on Nov 15, 2012 at 4:05 pm Hold the phones here people.
First of all.. the City of Mountain View didn't fire any people.
The City fired a COMPANY. That company then fired their people.
That company should have thought about their people before pushing the city for an increase.
|
|
Posted by Nick, a resident of the Cuesta Park neighborhood, on Nov 15, 2012 at 10:41 pm Maybe if the City Council hadn't denied the Chick-Fil-A... then we'd have the tax revenue to pay workers.
|
|
Posted by Joe, a resident of another community, on Nov 16, 2012 at 12:49 pm You voted for obama, now deal with it. This is what is going to happen. LOL, Love it.
See what your union will do for you now.
|
|
Posted by George, a resident of the Rex Manor neighborhood, on Nov 16, 2012 at 5:36 pm THIS IS INTERESTING>>>>> Please read the "VIEW'S" article on Jose Vargas, the illegal journalist... There are three "comments" on him, all tell him to get legal or get out...
FUNNY... there is NO ROOM to post any further comments.. Wuzzthe matter VIEW ? Don't you want to hear what real citizens have to say about him ? I have heard him talk, he is very convincing and a real speaker. BUT.... BUT... HE IS AN ILLEGAL resident, without a driver's license. Has he voted ??
Bye George.... who wants to comment on THAT article..
|
|
Posted by Gustavo , a resident of the Slater neighborhood, on Nov 28, 2012 at 9:04 am I’m a Mountain View resident for a couple of decades. I love my city and believe that this city is growing in the business sector as well in the community, and I don’t understand why the city cannot put a good contract on the table for janitorial service. I believe that the taxes payer shouldn’t be listening to these types of disrespect to the workers who are already making low wages and paying high cost of living like rent in “Mountain View”. On top of losing the pay rate and hours; they have lost all their benefits.
I suggest that in the RFP (request for proposal) the city must estipulate that the contractor must be union or pay prevailing wages to the cleaning staff that way the contractor knows how to bid the project. I know that the city is blaming the contractor, but if there is an open dialog these types of situations wouldn’t happen. Now, the people who are hurting the most are the poor janitors.
As a tax payer, I am very disappointed with way my city has handle the janitorial service contract.
|
|
|
| |
|
Send this story
Print this story
