So, maybe it’s because I was born in Houston that I have a particular interest in the janitors who are trying to kick some serious ass down in Texas. It’s the typical story: poor people working their tails off for $20 a day. Last December, more than five thousand janitors in Houston won the right to form a union. Since then, it’s been a typical struggle to get a contract: they’ve gone to the bargaining table with the five largest cleaning companies for more hours, health care and better wages–and, yet, there is still no contract. They’ve been threatened and attacked. So, they finally walked out.
The union is featuring a number of workers’ stories, including that of Ercilia Sandoval who has two daughters and makes about $5.25 an hour. She was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year. The cancer is now in the advanced stages. Ercilia has no health insurance and her employer refuses to offer it to her and the other janitors. There’s a video here about her story.
What particularly caught my eye is the attempt to pressure huge corporations who use the buildings that are cleaned by the janitors. In particular, the campaign is focused on Chevron, which owns buildings or are tenants of buildings where the janitors clean; the company, according to the union, controls more real estate in Houston than any other company. There is a fascinating chart on what it would cost to treat the workers well compared to the profits of Chevron (for example, it would take Chevron just one second to make 70 times more than the entire annual earnings of all 5,300 Houston janitors).
Yesterday, Exxon/Mobil reported that it earned $10.5 billion in profits last quarter–the second-highest quarterly profit EVER for a publicly-traded company. I’m holding my breathe today to see what Chevron rings up in profits. I know there are some people who are trying to boycott Citgo to protest the Venezuelan company’s home boy ‘Hugo Chavez. Maybe we should not buy Chevron products until it steps up in Houston?
UPDATE: This in from the Associated Press:
SAN RAMON, Calif. (AP) — Chevron Corp.’s quarterly profit surpassed $5 billion for the first time in its 127-year history, driven by higher oil prices and more productive refineries.
The results, released early Friday, marked the third time in the past year that Chevron’s quarterly earnings have hit a new high. The third-quarter earnings were also far above analyst estimates, lifting Chevron shares by 45 cents to $67.95 during early trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
