Janitors can vote on union

[IndianaGreen]

November 24, 2005

Janitors can vote on union
Contractor allowing employees to decide on representation

By Dana Knight

The numerous Downtown pickets staged by Indianapolis-area janitors in the past five months finally have won them a chance at union representation and raised hopes for higher wages and better treatment on the job.

Group Services France, the largest janitorial contractor in the city, has signed an agreement that will give more than 400 company janitors in Indianapolis a chance to say whether they want a union, the lead organizer of Indianapolis' Justice for Janitors said Wednesday.

The agreement allows the janitors to bypass a traditional union election overseen by the National Labor Relations Board and instead use a "card-signing" process that typically is overseen by a neutral third party, said organizer Rebecca Maran of Service Employees International Union Local 3.

"It's a huge victory," Maran said. "The first step is to get these companies to make a commitment to act responsibly and raise standards in the industry."

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051124/BUSINESS/511240420