Janitors at USC began fighting for justice in 1996 and 1997. Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 399 worked on behalf of a group of USC janitors who, after an unsuccessful attempt to unionize, were at risk. 

The university subcontracted the janitors’ jobs through an anti-union contractor, ServiceMaster, beginning in March 1996. Workers reported deterioration in working conditions after the subcontractor took over, including an increase in workloads and decrease in benefits; janitors who spoke out about their rights also faced intimidation, harassment, and firing. Moreover, former janitors who were rehired by ServiceMaster lost their seniority rights to higher wages, because even though they continued to work at USC, they now worked for a different employer and had to begin building seniority again. They also lost many of their benefits, including their children’s right to attend USC free of cost. As USC employees, they had been entitled to tuition remission, and even though they continued to work at USC under a different employer, they no longer enjoyed this benefit.

USC received an injunction against demonstrations on campus in response to Local 11's actions on behalf of the dining and housing workers, but the injunction applied to Local 399 as well. In spite of this, Local 399 organized protests in March and April of 1996, the latter of which was held at a University Day celebration hosted by President Sample.

Image 1: Laura Pulido, "Honk for Justice for Janitors at USC," Photograph, 1996. Used with permission.

Then, in July, a group of graduate students in the Department of Geography sent a letter to President Sample urging him to “maintain high standards when choosing outside contractors to perform services on campus,” because a contractor like ServiceMaster that was currently under investigation for “harassment, intimidation, and coercion, as well as for illegal firings” “should not be tolerated at this institution.” 

During the janitors' further attempts to unionize, ServiceMaster frightened, harassed, and intimidated janitors to prevent their participation in National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) elections. Students circulated a petition in September 1996 calling for the university to take a stand for workers’ rights and to protect the janitors from ServiceMaster’s policies, which left them living under the poverty line and in danger in the workplace. 

Together, employees and students formed a Justice for Janitors Organizing Committee at USC, and they wrote to the Student Senate requesting a resolution be made on the issue. 

Image 2: Laura Pulido, "Justice for Janitors," Picket Sign, 1996. Used with permission.

A few days earlier, on October 24, the janitors had held a rally that was ended by fifteen police in riot gear; USC security and administrators were present as well. Local 399 then led a march on November 14, 1996, to “show ServiceMaster that janitors stand united for justice, dignity and respect.” This march resulted in enough pressure on ServiceMaster for it to agree that all janitors on USC’s campus would receive wages of $6.50 per hour as opposed to the $4-5 per hour they had been receiving. However, no promises were made regarding health benefits. The janitors did not yet have a union contract to guarantee their newly won wages, either. 

So, Local 399 organized a one-day strike in the beginning of December. Over two hundred union members, representatives, and advocates participated in this protest of ServiceMaster. A student group, Frontlash, was also present; campus police threatened them with arrest for wearing “Justice for Janitors” t-shirts and for distributing flyers and pamphlets regarding the janitors’ situation. Tom Hayden was also there to speak in support of the workers. At this protest, at least two out of the ten demonstrators arrested were students. 

Image 3: Jonathan Ingalls, "Over 200 union members strike on Jefferson Street Thursday to demonstrate in opposition to ServiceMaster, the university's custodial contractor," Photograph, Daily Trojan Vol. CXXIX, No. 66, December 6, 1996. Used with permission.

In 1997, several demonstrations took place involving both janitors and students. On February 18, janitors “walked out” of their jobs, on strike. Three days later, a demonstration took place at USC in support of the strike. During this demonstration, police with billy clubs were present and arrested twelve of the protesters, including students. 

After this strike and demonstration, Local 399 held a secret ballot for janitors to vote for or against unionization. The result: 132 votes out of 190 favored union representation.  However, ServiceMaster refused to recognize the support for Local 399. A letter was sent from the union to USC staff, students, and faculty, relating that since the election, “janitors have received nothing but threats and intimidating meetings from their supervisors and delays for unknown reasons from the lawyers of USC and ServiceMaster.” The letter requested recipients to encourage President Sample to persuade ServiceMaster to permit workers to participate in an official NLRB election. The janitors were afterward allowed to unionize, but the struggle for adequate pay and benefits, as well as tuition remission afforded to all USC employees, went on.

In the summer of 2000, the janitors at USC won a new contract. Five years after the struggle with ServiceMaster began, the janitors secured a wage increase, health benefits, and tuition remission for those janitors whose tenure at USC predated subcontracting. Although the union was still working toward obtaining tuition remission for all ServiceMaster janitors at USC, the janitors celebrated a victory.

In December 2000, Professor David James of the Cinema school organized a screening of a film depicting the janitors’ struggles. Over fifty students, faculty, and staff attended the screening of Bread and Roses, which was accompanied by a teach-in to educate the audience about the contract.

Between 2000, after the subcontracted ServiceMaster janitors won a union and a new contract, and 2009, the university changed subcontractors. The janitors’ contract with Aramark, the new subcontractor, expired in the summer of 2009. During the seven subsequent months of contract negotiations, Aramark proposed drastically increasing the workers’ health insurance monthly copay from 7.25 percent to 25 percent. 

A few days before the opportunity for negotiations ended and SEIU was required to present the contract to the workers, janitors protested. About one hundred students, faculty, and staff, including SCALE, gathered at Tommy Trojan before marching during the “Justice for Janitors” protest.

Image 4: Dieuwertje Kast, "Protest," Photograph, Daily Trojan Vol. 168, No. 9, September 3, 2009. Used with permission.

A SCALE member remarked that USC bore a direct responsibility for its workers, because “USC does support the subcontracting policy. So even though it’s not USC directly who’s harming these workers, they’re taking part in the harm,” and therefore called on USC to treat its workers fairly. After the demonstration, Aramark proposed a much more reasonable contract than the one it had suggested a week earlier, and the janitors won a new, fair contract.