Ford Grant to Help Janitors Move Up Economic Ladder

Four Los Angeles janitors have been awarded a total of $130,000, which could, for a time, give their families a glimpse of life outside the ranks of the working poor--a new refrigerator, new school clothes, a two-bedroom apartment.

But this prize money is not destined for personal bank accounts.

It’s better than that, the unionized janitors said. It’s a Ford Foundation grant, a prestigious pot of money that honors their leadership roles within their union local and is to be used to enrich the lives of other unionized janitors with education and job training.

The four will use about $30,000 to travel around the country and learn “best practices” from unions and community organizations. In turn, they will train other rank-and-file members to strengthen local leadership.

“We don’t yet know where we will go,” said one of the award recipients, Marisela Salinas. “But the important thing is this award will be shared with everyone.”

Most of the award money, to be dispersed over two years, will be put to practical use close to home: developing computer know-how and learning English.

“I don’t always want to be stuck in the same job as a janitor,” said Rafael Ventura, a leader in Local 1877 of the Service Employees International Union. “I want to prepare myself to advance and grow. I want to be an organizer.”

While Ventura may aspire to be a professional union organizer, he already is a natural leader. He and the three other recipients of the foundation’s Leadership for a Changing World award were “strike captains” during the dramatic April 2000 walkout of 8,500 unionized janitors in Los Angeles.

Ventura, Salinas, Kamilo Rivera and Dolores Martinez, who gave birth Saturday night to a healthy 7-pound, 4-ounce boy, represent dozens of janitor leaders who led thousands of fellow workers through a strike that rolled through the city’s landmark buildings--from Arco Towers to Century City.

They were key to organizing a 10-mile march through downtown. They made sure food and strike pay were distributed on picket lines. And for years before the strike they struggled to feed, clothe and shelter their families on minimum wages.

“This recognition is so important to us because it is a recognition for janitors,” said Ventura. “All the union work we did made a difference.”

During the three-week strike that gained national attention, the union aimed to put a face on poverty in Los Angeles by highlighting the everyday struggles of those who labor scrubbing toilets, vacuuming and dusting.

In the end, their financial gains were modest: a 25% raise over three years that will in 2003 mean a top wage of $9.70 an hour. They also maintained health benefits.

But the importance of the contract agreement cannot be measured only in monetary terms, they say.

“I lost my fear and gained confidence,” said Rivera. “I used to feel like an immigrant, but now I feel like I am part of this city.”

The janitor leaders were selected from a national pool of 3,000 nominees. The goal of the program is to award funding to grass-roots leaders working to solve complex social issues by mobilizing diverse communities.

Triana Silton, building services director for Local 1877, said that if the union leaders are to take the next step in their growth, they must learn how to plug into other grass-roots and labor movements.

But one of the most common forms of communication these days, e-mail and Internet access, remains an elusive luxury for janitors whose first priority is paying for groceries and rent.

About $100,000 of the money will go toward establishing a leadership training institute and computer lab. The janitors will learn how to type, make a flier, and use e-mail like their bosses and building managers do.

“We want to be able to communicate in the business world,” said Rivera. “And if we can use the Internet, we can see things around the world and learn about people with other jobs.”

While they spend tens of thousands on education, the rank-and-file union members say the extra $160 a month they won in their contract has provided some relief at home.

“I was able to rent an apartment with two bedrooms,” Rivera said. “Now, my wife and I have our own room and our children have theirs.”