Protests continue at M Financial Plaza after Arke Management replaced its union janitorial contractor with a non-union company, and owner JP Morgan has refused to change course.  On May 8, union janitors and their supporters inflated a 18-foot-high “Fat Cat” in front of the building while banging drums and shaking noisemakers near its entrance, calling attention to JP Morgan’s immense profits ($54 billion in 2024) that come at the expense of good jobs for the janitors who clean its buildings.   The controversy began in late 2023 when Arke Management replaced ABM, whose employees have a union, with Millennium Building Services, a non-union company with a history of workplace labor problems, including poor wages and benefits, high employee turnover, and employer violations of basic workplace rights.  Since then, union janitors and their allies have taken part in about a dozen protests at M Financial Plaza, including a protest that shut down the adjacent intersection, and engaging tenants and clients at the building’s entrance.  “We are not giving up,” said a member of SEIU Local 49, during the most recent protest. “J.P. Morgan and Arke Management can do the right thing and choose a union janitorial company to clean M Financial Plaza. They have a bunch of union companies to choose from.”  At least a dozen union-friendly companies are listed on SEIU’s Responsible Contractor Guide for the Portland metro area.   “Janitors and their allies are asking J.P. Morgan and Arke Management to invest in good jobs in Portland,” said Maggie Long, Executive Director of SEIU Local 49. “We want to see them make that call this summer and have a responsible union contractor cleaning the building by October 1st.” 

Now, more than ever Portland is looking to business leaders to invest in Portland. SKB, WHI Real Estate Partners, LP, and JLL have done just that by choosing to continue using a responsible union janitorial contractor at five buildings, totaling 1.3 million square feet of rentable building area. (1) Over the last several months, The Water Tower, Riverside Centre, Koin Tower, Sixth + Main, and Block 300 – have all been out to bid for janitorial services.  The decision-makers at SKB, WHI, and JLL chose to stick with Responsible Union Contractors at these buildings, making a long-term investment in quality services and economic vitality.  A continued investment in union janitors and security officers is part of Greater Portland’s success. Trying to cut costs by using low road contractors—employers that lower wages, offer no access to affordable healthcare, provide very limited on the job protections, and do not provide access to other benefits like a secure retirement—is not going to turn around the Commercial Real Estate market. Eliminating union jobs for janitors or security officers may be seen as a short-term solution to cut costs but, in the end, will result in the creation of poverty wage jobs in our region.   CRE leaders like those at SKB, JLL, and WHI understand that investing in quality jobs makes a real difference in the lives of their custodial staff, promotes employee retention and quality services, and is a contribution to regional economic development.  See SEIU’s Responsible Contractor Guide for high-road janitorial and security service providers in the Portland metro area.     (1) Building Name Rentable Building Area Sixth+Main (frmly Congress Center) 358,252 KOIN Center 355,000 Block 300 (frmly Robert Duncan Plaza) 365,560 Riverside Centre 100,938 The Water Tower 115,944 TOTAL 1,295,694

Fourteen ABM janitors who clean Oregon Health Sciences University’s medical education buildings graduated in February at a ceremony including the graduates, leaders from SEIU Local 49, City of Portland Councilors Angelita Morillo and Steve Novick, ABM executives, and the U.S. Green Building Council.  The ceremony was held at the LEED Platinum-certified Robertson Life Sciences Building in Portland’s South Waterfront. The Green Janitor Health Certification Program provides comprehensive training to janitorial staff about practices that meet the latest energy, water, and green initiative standards. It covers topics like energy efficiency, recycling, waste management, water conservation, and more. Through this program, janitors are encouraged to take part in the building’s goals of improving energy efficiency and building health. This means sharing recommendations on improvements to their worksites, such as using more environmentally friendly cleaning products, materials, or equipment, and suggesting other ways to carry out the best green practices in their daily work. The program is truly a win-win for building owners and for union janitors. Building owners can offer tenants their participation in the program as a distinct selling point—an additional amenity that saves money and helps meet corporate social responsibility goals.​​ Additionally, buildings receive an additional point on LEED certification once janitors have graduated from the program. Janitors learn valuable new skills, earn a grant-funded training premium, and those who complete the 30-hour program obtain a certification and have the potential to earn higher wages. Most importantly, the program ​​​​​​​​gets results: Past studies have found that buildings who participated in the program used 5.6% less electricity than buildings that did not, and 76% of buildings that participated saw a reduction in electricity and water usage. This program is​ a partnership between SEIU Local 49, the SEIU Education & Support Fund, and the U.S. Green Building  Council.​ ​​​Currently, the Green Janitor program is only available to buildings and janitorial contractors with workers covered under bargaining agreements with SEIU Local 49. ​ With greater investment from additional building owners committed to green practices, we ​look forward to ​expand​ing​ the​ Green Janitor​ program and help restore and reimagine Portland’s place as a destination for business​.