By Pat Barcas
Staff Writer
Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012
     CHICAGO — Hundreds of SEIU Local 1 janitors left their final shift at O’Hare Airport unemployed Dec. 14, victims of a new city contract awarded to a non-union employer.
     United Maintenance will pay workers $11.90 an hour, as opposed to the vast majority of the formerly union workforce that made more than $15 per hour. Hundreds turned in their badges and emotionally walked off the job Friday, while some stayed on as non-union workers.
     SEIU Local 1 has been advocating for the city to re-bid the contract with United Maintenance for months, culminating with a protest in front of city hall last week with the Chicago Federation of Labor, as well as a Christmas caroling session in front of Mayor Emanuel’s house.
     “This contract severely jeopardizes the well-being of close to 350 men and women who go to work every day to keep the world’s busiest airport clean,” said Chicago Federation of Labor President Jorge Ramirez at the city hall rally Dec. 11. “These workers have done nothing wrong; yet on Friday, they will lose their jobs, their livelihoods, their health insurance, their retirement security and their dignity because of a public contract that rewards a low bidder who will cut wages, hours and benefits.”
     While the Mayor is poised to announce new transparency rules in contracting, aldermen and community groups have been advocating for the Responsible Bidder Ordinance — which has 31 co-sponsors — for the past year. The ordinance, which has been languishing in committee for a year, codifies standards for contractors providing services for the city and would require that they offer fair wages and benefits to workers and retain the existing workforce.
     SEIU says the Emanuel administration’s recent decision to award the O’Hare cleaning contract to an irresponsible contractor proves the need for higher standards and accountability for contractors that do business with the city.
     The union also says this is another step in the long line of disappearing jobs for the middle class.
     Over the last decade, airline profits have risen dramatically, while service jobs at the nation’s second busiest airport continue to pay less and offer fewer benefits, leaving more and more Chicagoans to be forced to rely on taxpayer-funded assistance. Emanuel said the decision to contract with United Maintenance saves taxpayers millions, but the union said it continues a pattern of cutting good jobs to help irresponsible contractors and large corporations increase their profits at the expense of good middle class jobs for Chicago.

Pat Barcas’ e-mail address is pat@foxvalleylabornews.com.