Gov. Malloy: "Time to Find Common Ground" and Avert Strike of Commercial Building Cleaners

Statement

Governor Dannel P. Malloy today released the following statement regarding the ongoing negotiations between the Hartford Area Cleaning Contractors Association and the commercial building cleaners, represented by Local 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union. The union represents roughly 2,000 workers in the Hartford and New Haven area.

"With their contract set to expire on December 31, the thousands of commercial building cleaners, whose labor provides a critically important service for many of our residents, face tremendous uncertainty.

"A strike like this has the potential to disrupt both the lives of the workers on the picket lines and the countless others who work in buildings that rely on the services they provide. At a time when we are trying to reinvent our state's economy, the possibility of a strike will only cause an unnecessary disruption.

"On Wednesday, both parties will reconvene for negotiations, and I want to urge them to approach the table with an open mind. We cannot let differences in a negotiation create instability for both the workforce and the companies that depend on their labor.

"A tentative agreement has already been reached in Fairfield County, the terms of which are fair for all the parties involved. There is no reason we can't expect the same in the Hartford and New Haven area. It's time to find common ground, so that everyone can approach the new year with sense of certainty and optimism."

Source