The City-wide union contract will more than double income for more than 5,300 janitors and families - the latest victory in our national fight for good jobs with health care.

The police attack and the outrageous legal sanctions against protestors helped bring the city to a crisis. Civil rights, political and civic leaders sided with the janitors, making the courts reduce the legal penalties against protestors and forcing companies to go back to negotiating table last friday.

Janitors won higher wages, more hours, and health insurance in their first city-wide union contract. The contract will lift hundreds of janitors out of poverty, more than doubling their income within 24 months and guaranteeing secure affordable health care.

Houston is the second major victory for janitors in less than a year, and is being seen as a major breakthrough in the South and for low-wage workers around the country.

Thanks for all your amazing support in Berlin, Hamburg, London, Moscow, Mexico City, Panama City and Milan. Never before have low wage janitors in the U.S. received such unprecedented solidarity and support from activists and trade unionist across the world.

Si Se Pudo!

For more details go to www.houstonjanitors.org

En solidaridad,
xxx

other links -

 http://houston.indymedia.org/

 http://www.labourstart.org/radio/podcast/stephenlerner.mp3

 http://www.labourstart.org

 http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D8LFQDG00.html


In addition, here's a link to TV and radio clips from the past week-end:
 http://media.vmsnews.com/MR.pl?id=112006-653686-X000827480