Nearly 100 NYC public school cleaners and handypersons rallied at City Hall Park in Lower Manhattan Tuesday to demand a better pension as inflation and cost-of-living prices continue to rise.
Members of 32BJ SEIU, the union that represents thousands of NYC public school cleaners and maintenance workers, have not received pension improvements since 2018, Shirley Aldebol, executive vice president of 32BJ, said. Their current collective bargaining agreement with NYC DOE-contracted non-profit New York City School Support Services (NYCSSS) expires June 30.
“We’re rallying with school cleaners and handypersons employed by NYCSSS, we’re rallying to make sure their budget is fully funded going into the next fiscal year,” Aldebol said. “And we’re currently in contract negotiations. We want to negotiate a contract that includes an improvement in the pension. That is the number one priority for our members.”
Aldebol explained that today’s high cost of living eroded the improvement members received six years ago.
“They don’t want to have to do multiple jobs in retirement to be able to sustain a life, especially in New York City where the cost of living is so high,” she said.
Members are asking for an increase in accrual or their service credits to ensure more money in their monthly benefits once they retire.
“This is not a rich pension by any means. Our pension benefit basically supplements social security,” Aldebol said. “We also have a 401K, so all together with the pension benefit they should be able to sustain their life and their families without having to continue working into their 70s.”
The wage and benefit standards of the NYC school cleaners’ labor contract is governed by prevailing wage law because NYCSSS is a city contractor. The industry prevailing wage and benefit standards for the contract are set by the 2023 master commercial contract agreement between 32BJ SEIU and the Realty Advisory Board on Labor Relations.
The contract covers 5,000 32BJ members who work within the city’s 1,300 public schools. These are workers who conduct heavy-duty, deep cleaning tasks and perform maintenance work that includes repairs, painting and changing furniture. Handypersons are also responsible for making sure school systems, including boilers, run efficiently.
amNewYork reached out to both NYC Mayor Eric Adams and NYCSSS for comment about the contract negotiations but did not hear back.
NYC public school cleaners and handypersons: Laid off during COVID
Many 32BJ members also worked during the COVID-19 pandemic and were considered essential workers.
Aldebol explained members faced difficult workloads and understaffing, as many colleagues were laid off during the pandemic. Essential workers oversaw the transition of schools into summer lunch distribution sites, COVID-19 testing locations and other resources for the community.
“Our members had to be there to make sure those spaces were clean, had enhanced cleaning protocol, disinfection protocols. They opened up the schools and had to deal with staffing shortages because some workers were let go and other workers simply didn’t come back. They took retirement and didn’t come back.”
Per their current contract, NYC public school cleaners receive $29.90 per hour, and handypersons make $32.62 per hour.
