STATEMENT OF MAYOR HEATHER FARGO ON NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN JANITORS AND BUILDING OWNERS AND MANAGERS

"I am proud that Sacramento has a strong tradition of valuing hard work and that we believe people who work hard should not be living in poverty. Yet janitors in Sacramento continue to struggle to keep themselves and their families above poverty in both good and bad economic times.

Today in Sacramento, janitors working full time cleaning offices (from commercial real estate to hi-tech to government offices) continue to struggle to make ends meet on just $340 per week. More than one-third work without health care coverage for their families. Facing skyrocketing food and gasoline prices, these hard-working janitors bring home well below what it costs to raise a family and live in California.

Right now, 1,500 Sacramento janitors are at the bargaining table to build a better future for their families. I encourage the leaders of the commercial real estate industry in our City to show their leadership role in our community by sharing their prosperity with the janitors who ensure that they are ready for business every day.

I ask our corporate leaders and City partners to ensure that janitors’ hard work is rewarded with the opportunity to provide a future for their families by ensuring that janitors who work full time earn wages that provide an opportunity to secure decent housing for themselves and their families and guarantee quality, affordable health care for janitors and their families.

Several years ago, I worked to bring both the janitors and building owners and managers together to find common ground, and I am hopeful that this will happen again. Together we can ensure that all workers in Sacramento are adequately rewarded for their contributions to the Sacramento economy."