Union rallies to get St. Louis-area janitors Juneteenth holiday pay

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOV) - On Monday, union janitors will be rallying to encourage three major contractors in the St. Louis area to adopt holiday pay and a paid day off for the Juneteenth holiday.

SEIU Local 1 is demanding Clean-Tech, 4M and ABM to include Juneteenth as a paid holiday in its upcoming St. Louis janitorial contract, which covers nearly 1,600 janitors throughout the city.

“For us, we think it is a day that they should be recognized for their hard work and be able to have the day off to celebrate our country’s history,” said Local 1 president, Genie Kastrup. “We have negotiated probably three or four contracts alone this year in our jurisdiction of local one throughout the Midwest, where it has been recognized as a local holiday.”

The contracts are set to expire on October 31. In a press release, Local 1 states its essential janitors--many Black and Brown--have risked their health and safety during the global pandemic to protect Missourian families and communities.

The rally will start at 11 a.m. Monday at the corner of Jefferson and Clark in Downtown St. Louis.

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