Jim Edwards is a senior VP for American Building Maintenance. ABM is one of the area's larger janitorial-services firms, and Edwards is a veteran of negotiations with the union. He said he wouldn't comment specifically about the wage increase the union is seeking, but then it seemed as if he couldn't help himself. "I started a long time ago as a janitor," Edwards says. "I'm now a senior vice president. It's all about applying yourself. I don't care what they say - you work hard, you improve yourself, you take advantage of the opportunities that are presented to you."
Edwards didn't exactly point an accusing finger at the Valley's highflying technology companies, but he made it clear that companies like ABM felt stuck in the middle. He says his company is at the negotiating table but that the wages are not entirely up to companies such as ABM. "After we negotiate with the union, we have to negotiate with our clients. It's all driven by what employers are willing to pay," he says.
Therein lies the rub. The key players in these negotiations can sidestep responsibility because they can accurately say that it's an issue between the janitors and their employers. At least Cisco's Steve Langdon was willing to discuss the issue - his counterparts at other companies declined comment. Langdon noted that Cisco had recently donated $1 million to a new Housing Trust Fund aimed at expanding the area's supply of affordable housing, and that the company also donates money to programs aimed at educating minority youth. Still, the company's commitment stops short of helping the 120 or so janitors who actually clean its facility.
"We respect the collective bargaining process," Langdon says.
"We're talking about some of the wealthiest corporations in the world," says Mike Garcia, a former janitor who now serves as president of the SEIU local. "They can easily share a tiny portion of profits to improve the health and economic well-being of the communities they operate in."
