VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Over 2,500 SEIU Local 2 caretakers from across Metro-Vancouver are participating in centralized collective bargaining for the first time. Their goal is to push through much-needed improvements such as cost-of-living wage increases, improved benefits, a retirement plan, better health and safety measures, and job security.

“We all deserve to be treated with dignity and respect,” said Agnes Estimo, who works for Best Service Pros in Metropolis Metrotown. “Now is our time and we are ready to stand up for what we deserve.”

Like many other workers, janitors have felt the effects of an unprecedented rise in the cost of living. At current wages, even basic needs are unattainable. The consumer price index (CPI) calculated by Statistics Canada shows annual inflation at 6.8%, the highest in 31 years.

“The cost of living in British Columbia is skyrocketing,” said Rolando Gonzalez, an employee at Alpine Building Maintenance at the Lansdowne Centre. “Our wages are not enough. We deserve better pay.”

Ariel Dela Riarte works for GDI Integrated Facility Services at the Gordon & Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre. He said: “Winning a pension plan is one of our top priorities. With all the work we do, companies need to do more to secure our future when we retire.”

SEIU Local 2 members clean public transportation systems, commercial office buildings, government buildings, shopping malls, food courts, post-secondary facilities, private schools, healthcare facilities, courthouses and more. They work for eight of Canada’s largest cleaning companies.

For the first time in Vancouver, Bee-Clean Building Maintenance, Best Service Pros, GDI Integrated Facility Services, Alpine Building Maintenance, Ultratech Cleaning Systems, Hallmark Housekeeping Services, BGIS Integrated Facility Management and C&W Services sit together at the central negotiating table. SEIU has successfully signed framework agreements through central collective bargaining in…