Twin Cities janitors to strike on Wednesday

Updated: 11:50 a.m. | Posted: 9:07 a.m.

Thousands of Twin Cities janitors will walk off the job Wednesday after their contract deadline passed Sunday night.

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) represents more than 4,200 people who work for janitorial firms contracted to clean office buildings.

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Local 26 President Javier Morillo said employee workloads and a $15 hourly wage remain major sticking points.

"We made very clear to our employers very early on that it didn't make sense simply to talk about wage increases without addressing the very fundamental issue of workload — workloads that are right now literally hurting people's bodies," Morillo said.

John Nesse, a spokesperson for the Minneapolis-St. Paul Contract Cleaners Association, said employers have already addressed wage concerns.

"The employers put a wage offer on the table back in January that would bring all full-time employees up to $15 — actually over $15 per hour."

The janitors' previous contract expired Dec. 31.