Silicon Valley janitors still on strike; dispute unresolved

Janitors’ strike enters third day

By Benjamin Pimentel, MarketWatch

Last Update: 1:09 PM ET May 22, 2008

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — The union representing striking Silicon Valley
janitors said Thursday that workers at Intel Corp. and Stanford University have
joined picket lines as the labor action entered its third day.

The Service Employees Union Local 1877, which represents about 6,000 workers, is
pushing for the companies to pressure their cleaning contractors to grant more
concessions to the janitors.

Workers at Intel (INTC) and Stanford have joined the protests, according to SEIU
spokeswoman Gina Bowers. The strike also has affected other technology giants,
including Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) and Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ), the union
said.

Intel and other Silicon Valley companies have framed the dispute as an issue
between the union and the cleaning contractors. In a statement, Stanford
University said that it would be inappropriate to intervene in the parties’
negotiations.

The union is asking for higher wages and better benefits for janitors who earn an
average of $11 an hour, or roughly $23,000 a year.

Separately, a criminal citation has been filed against a striking janitor accused
of making a false report to police in connection with an alleged collision on the
picket line at Yahoo Inc.’s (YHOO) headquarters in Sunnyvale, Calif.

The union had said that a 54-year-old worker picketing outside the company was
injured after being struck by a motorist trying to enter the facility. Yahoo
denied the incident, saying that security-camera footage showed there was no
collision. Sunnyvale police said it confirmed Yahoo’s claim.

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