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California janitors strike for medical benefits |
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Militant/Rick Trujillo
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BY RICK TRUJILLO
SAN DIEGO—More than 200 striking janitors and supporters rallied in front of the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer June 17 in Torrey Pines, California, a suburb of San Diego, above. They rallied again a week later. Organized by Service Employees International Union Local 1877, the workers, most of them originally from Mexico, are fighting for medical benefits and increased wages. Entering the third week of their strike, some 150 union members out of 1,400 that clean buildings in suburban San Diego County have escalated the walkout to 50 buildings. “We are fighting for health care because it’s a right; we are not asking for anything we are not already owed,” striker Juan Cortez told the spirited crowd. “I am here with you for fair wages. Neither the company nor the police will stop us,” said Leonel Cortez. “We shouldn’t be afraid of anything.” The union is currently negotiating with eight major contractors. The union local reports that these workers are the last of its members in a major metropolitan area without health-care benefits.
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