Hundreds of custodial workers and supporters in Miami-Dade rallied to demand higher wages and benefits in the face of a growing affordability crisis.
The union 32BJ SEIU, representing property service workers nationwide, hosted a demonstration in Coral Gables earlier this week, ahead of Thursday's Justice for Janitors Day.
Thirty-three years ago, dozens of janitors on strike for the right to organize and to earn better wages were beaten by Los Angeles police during a peaceful demonstration.
Now, janitors across Miami are protesting the state minimum wage of $11 an hour. Janitor Pedro Gonzalez, 47, said with increased costs of living, this isn’t enough.
“One two bedroom apartment costs $2,500 or even $3,000,” he said during Wednesday's protests. “How are you going to pay the rent if your salary is $11 per hour?”
Miami is the second most rent-burdened city in the United States, according to a report by Moody’s Analytics in February.
"I hate when people talk about the American dream," added Gonzalez. "The America dream was gone a long time ago, and now it's like a nightmare."
The rally took place in Ponce Circle Park — across the road from the headquarters of AK Building Services. The company is one of the largest cleaning contractors in South Florida, and a group of janitors employed there are currently organizing for their union.
People chanted, whistled and waved flags while union members, supporters and elected officials spoke to the crowd.
Miami-Dade County Commissioner Eileen Higgins was among the speakers who joined the demonstration in support. Minimum wage forces them to live on food stamps, go without health insurance and be in affordable housing, she said.
“They should not have a workforce that lives in poverty [while working] in glimmering office buildings,” Higgins said. “It's really a travesty.”
The director of 32BJ SEIU Helen O'Brien said even though janitors do hard work, they are often overlooked and people only notice them when they don't do their job.
"They notice the garbage, they notice the dirt," she said. "People just take for granted when things are clean or in shape."
This fall, janitors will begin to negotiate a new contract covering about 1,000 janitors working for various contractors across Miami, according to the union.
