On February 14th Jobs with Justice activsts rallied outside of Cingular Wireless’ headquarters with a message heard loud and clear inside of Russ Levy’s glass palace--Janitor's Kids Need Healthcare Too! The Cingular headquarters are still being cleaned by sweatshop-loving Cascadian Building Maintenance (CBM). Boss Levy had a great view of the decorated cars, bikes and trucks that paraded around his building. Rumor has it banners were simulteneously dropped telling Cingular to have a heart and give their janitors affordable healthcare. Activists were encouraged by Valentines Day "greetings" hung up in office windows by Russ Levy lackies telling us that we succesfuly grabbed Cingular’s attention. Activists responded with a resounding "We’ll Be Back!". Stay tuned for upcoming actions.

BACKGROUND :
Cingular Wireless is the largest wireless provider in the U.S. -- and the only one that is unionized. Cingular proudly advertises that it is a union company and that it respects the collective bargaining process. So why won't Cingular enforce the decision of the janitors who clean Cingular Headquarters?

Cingular Headquarters is currently cleaned by anti-union Cascadian Building Maintenance (CBM), where janitors work under sweatshop-like conditions with no affordable health care benefits (the Cascadian healthcare costs $20 a month PLUS a $25 copay for each visit PLUS the deductible is $1000 for an individual OR $420 a month PLUS $2000 deductible for a family -- after the deductible is paid, workers must pay 50% of all medical expenses and insurance covers the other 50%). The unionized janitors in Seattle and in Bellevue have employer paid family health care and dental, with the workers only needing to pay a $15 copay and 10% of any medical expenses.

Janitors have been very successfully organizing for healthcare, and now on the Eastside over 65% are part of the Union. That's an increase from 35% in this last year. A victory here will take it to 75% and that will make a big difference in getting an affordable healthcare standard in the entire industry.

CBM janitors want affordable health care, respect, and better benefits. They want what the majority of King County janitors have . . . a union contract and they are prepared to take action. SEIU Local 6 has been organizing CBM for the last year and we are close to winning.

Join us to tell Cingular to follow the socially responsible lead of many other building owners and respect the dignity of the janitors who clean union wireless worker toilets. Cingular janitors face the conditions that the Holland America and UW School of Medicine off-campus lab janitors previously faced because the local Operations Manager of Cingular, Russell Levy, utilizes the Cascadian contractor that refuses to provide affordable healthcare.