Disciples ministers in Indianapolis joined a rally last week in support of unionized janitors who were in the midst of losing their jobs. Members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) rallied at the Landmark Center building near the city’s downtown on Aug. 20. It was the final day for the 13 janitors who worked at the building after the owner terminated their contract.
“It’s the same struggle,” said Linda McCrae, senior minister of Central Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Indianapolis, who joined the janitors in rallying and marching around the office building. McCrae was among several clergy arrested in May 2007 during a sit-in that took place at the entrance to another Indianapolis office building. Also arrested in the 2007 protest was Darren Cushman-Wood, senior pastor of Speedway United Methodist Church in Speedway, Ind.
Last week’s rally was a continuation of the “Justice for Janitors Campaign,” which has resulted in significant gains for janitors in Indianapolis, including a contract that runs through 2012. That SEIU agreement was won by the janitors because of the support of and efforts of the union, and people like McCrae, Cushman-Wood, and Mmoja Ajabu, minister of social concerns at Light of the World Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Indianapolis, along with City-County Councilor Jose Evans.
The current SEIU contract with employers covers about 1,000 janitors in Indianapolis. “We have made significant progress but we still have more work to do,” said McCrae. “We want to make sure that all of these workers can earn a decent wage, get enough hours to take care of their families, and have access to affordable health care.”
“People of faith must continue to press for access to medical sustenance so God given life will not be short lived because of no, or inadequate health care. We pray that God will continue to order our steps,” said Ajabu, who was also at last week’s rally. Jim Higginbotham, assistant professor at Earlham College and an ordained Disciples minister also was at the rally.
In August of 2007, T. Garrott Benjamin Jr., senior pastor of Light of the World Christian Church, former General Minister and President Richard L. Hamm, McCrae, and Fr. Tom Fox of Hispanic Ministries in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis were among the speakers at a rally in downtown Indianapolis seeking fair wages and benefits for janitors.
The Landmark Center janitorial workers are employed by GSF Safeway, which stands for Group Services France Safeway. GSF may be able to place them in other jobs. Otherwise they will be out of a job, said Kaitlin DeCero, an SEIU external organizer.
“The rally was inspiring but also devastating that 13 people who work in our city, whose children go to our schools, will not have those wages to spend in our community. They had fought hard to make sure that they were making a decent wage,” said DeCero.
Jay Riggs, lead organizer for SEIU Local 1 in Indianapolis, said in order to have real negotiating power for the workers, the goal is to organize them at all work sites to increase their bargaining power.
“We think that people should be making a living wage,” said Riggs. “You look at the working poor in a city like Indianapolis, they have very little expectation about what they can accomplish because they think the deck is stacked against them. But when somebody stands up and fights for them, they begin to believe that they can improve their lives.”
By: James Patterson