Janitors from the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) went on strike last week asking for a pay rise to $8.50 an hour and health insurance.
The janitors work for several companies, and have been calling for janitors across the city to join their strike. The janitors are targetting ABM Janitorial Services, GCA Services, OneSource, Sanitors Services of Texas and Pritchard Industries Southwest.
The cleaning companies have said they cannot afford to pay the janitors more unless the building owners pay the cleaning companies more for their services. In response to this, the SEIU are also pressuring the major building owners in the city. Union representatives have pointed to the national significance of the significance of the strike, as Houston is the fourth largest city in the country, but pay for janitors remains far lower than in other major cities.
