Twelve thousand New England janitors, including over 5,000 who work in the City of Boston, are currently in contract negotiations and hope to achieve fair and reasonable goals of higher wages, more opportunities for full-time work and family healthcare, and better working conditions.

These workers clean over 10 million square feet of floor space, including office buildings in one of the country’s strongest commercial real estate markets, millions of square feet of new office and laboratory space being built in almost every neighborhood of Boston, and provide a sanitized learning, living, and working environment for over 220,000 students and 51,000 at local colleges and universities.

Hundreds of these workers ensure cleanliness in airport terminals, transit hubs, MBTA stations and vehicles, and other public facilities which serve as the gateway for travelers to Boston and its economy.

These negotiations provide an important opportunity to recognize and reward the commitment of the essential janitors who personally sacrificed to keep Boston strong. The contract for 32BJ janitors will expire at midnight, November 15, 2023. This week, the Council adopted a resolution in support of 32BJ SEIU’s Cleaning Contract Campaign.