Houston BOMA Awaits Decision on Janitors’ Union Status
Houston BOMA is awaiting the decision of an independent arbiter who will decide if the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) has submitted enough signed membership cards to certify a new local janitors union. In August, SEIU and five janitorial contractors – ABM Janitorial Services, Sanitors Services of Texas, OneSource Facility Services, Pritchard Industries Southwest and GCA Services Group – signed a neutrality agreement. The contractors agreed to not issue statements in opposition of the union drive as well as provide SEIU with the names, addresses, work locations and shifts of their employees. If the arbiter certifies the signed cards, the contractors have agreed to recognize the union.
The certification process has taken longer than expected, and there is speculation that many of the signatures may not be valid and that turnover has decreased the total. Only current employees are permitted to be members of the union.
Houston BOMA has taken an active role protecting its members interests through the formation of task forces designed to monitor the issue. Additionally, it has developed several informational resources to assist members in dealing with the union’s organizing effort.
