Janitors Protest Wells Fargo, Deluge Bankers with Monopoly Money and Toy Houses

SEIU Local 26 janitors converged on Downtown Minneapolis today with a pair of coordinated actions designed to disrupt the business community, particularly megabank and cleaning client Wells Fargo. While about 40 members of the bargaining unit ran a decoy action, marching and chanting in the Skyways from US Bank Corps Plaza, the main unit descended on the Wells Fargo downtown branch.

Workers and organizers poured into the bank lobby and set up a mock Monopoly Board. They also dumped out over ten thousand green plastic Monopoly house game pieces to represent over 84,000 foreclosures in Minnesota. Activists on the Skyway level dumped bags of Monopoly money over the railing as David Gilbert-Patterson, an intern with Take Action, strutted around the bank dressed as Rich Uncle Pennybags in a top hat, tuxedo and cane. | See video of the action

Protestors chanted, "No more bailouts, no more greed, how many profits do you need," as monopoly money bearing the face of CEO Stumpf rained down from the skyway balcony. The tiny houses and fake money crunched underfoot as protestors paced back an forth and office workers walked through on their lunch hour.

The action sent the message, “Don’t Play Monopoly with Our Lives;” highlighting the disjunction between massive bank profits and the foreclosure crisis, which threatens the economic security of Local 26 cleaners and many of the working poor. A number of Local 26 janitors have been the victims of relentless foreclosure proceedings, some initiated by the banks they clean.

“My family and I lost our home on February 5 after making 5 years of payments to Wells Fargo,” said Armando Diaz, a janitor at Normandale Lake Office Park. “I tried to work something out with Wells Fargo because I couldn't afford the mortgage, even with two jobs. Last year when Wells Fargo needed help, they got a $25 billion bailout, but when I asked for help, they said ‘no.’”

As in other actions, they called out Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf, who made over $18 million this year. The disparity in pay and benefits is a serious problem in the eyes of SEIU janitors, many of whom struggle with high medical bills, lack of job security and cuts in hours.

"It is a tragedy that people who clean Wells Fargo are losing their homes to Wells Fargo," said participant Ty Moore.

According to SEIU reserach of Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data, Wells Fargo rejects home purchase applicants of color more often than white applicants. Wells Fargo has denied African-Americans a purchase loan three times more than whites. Latinos at Wells Fargo were almost twice as likely as whites to be rejected for purchase and refinance loans.

Wells Fargo under-serves low and moderate income neighborhoods, making less than 2% of their FHA purchase loans and less than 3% of their conventional loans to persons from low income neighborhoods, and 12% of its conventional purchase loans and 15% of its FHA purchase loans to persons from moderate income neighborhoods.

This action comes after progress at the bargaining table with cleaning contractor Marsden Building Maintenance, who broke off from negotiations with the other firms, ABM and Harvard. In late night negotiations on their own with Local 26, Marsden accepted a number of proposals from the union, most centering around better job security and full-time hours. Marsden also accepted the green cleaning demands of Local 26, agreeing to phase out toxic cleaners and to begin a transition to Day Shift cleaning for janitors who want to do so.

Janitors at Marsden removed their strike authorization over unfair labor practices. They will continue to work towards a peaceful settlement for a new contract even as janitors at other major contractors are prepared to strike at any time.

Hamu Ebiso, a member of the union bargaining team said, “We’re not done with Marsden negotiations, but we’re more than halfway there, and that is why we decided to withdraw our strike authorization.”

ABM and Harvard employees continue their preparations to walk off the job over their companies’ refusal to bargain in good faith. The companies will meet with janitors again today for only the fourth time this month, and continue to reject janitors’ proposals for good, green, full-time jobs. Contract negotiations have been ongoing since December 2009. Union janitors have been working without a contract since January.

 “If Marsden can agree to use safer chemicals and move towards eight-hour full-time jobs, then so can ABM and Harvard,” said Bryant Thomas, a janitor at the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, and a member of the union bargaining team. “We have done everything possible to avoid a strike, but the companies have continued to bargain in bad faith. If we’re forced to strike, we’re ready to strike so we can move forward for better jobs for our families.”

The recalcitrance of these management companies is spurring union pressure on the building owners and tenants, the clients who can effectively pressure contractor into negotiations at the bargaining table.

Protest photos courtesy of SEIU Local 26/ Rafael Morataya. Action planning and preparation candids from H. Stone at Twin Cities IndyMedia.