Thousands Of Toronto Cleaners May Go On Strike & The City Could Get Smelly

Toronto isn't well known for its dirtiness, but regardless of your stance on its current condition, the 6ix could get a whole lot worse.

Thousands of cleaners in Toronto are preparing to strike over low wages as the cost of living rises, and a "strike vote" will take place this Saturday, April 30, according to a press release.

Service Employees International Union Local 2 (SEIU Local 2) says they have been trying to get a "fair contract." Still, cleaning companies are "refusing to provide wage increases that keep up with the cost of living."

The top pay rate for janitors is $16.45 per hour, with most earning $15.70 per hour, according to SEIU Local 2. Some workers may also earn 50 cents more per hour by working "overnight shifts or lead hand premiums."

"Most of my co-workers are working two jobs to be able to pay the bills now," says Erna Bearneza, a worker who has cleaned for GDI Integrated Facility Services for 10 years.

SEIU Local 2 says cleaners did not receive a pay increase throughout the pandemic, especially when "cleaners went from invisible to being called essential."

"Not only did we not get any pandemic pay," says Mark Dayao, a worker for Best Service Pros at Humber College, "our workloads also increased as deeper cleaning was required."

SEIU Local 2 represents 4,000 cleaners in the GTA, and more than 2,500 are employed by companies currently negotiating at a "central table" with the union. The outcome of which will set the standard for the industry.

If workers vote to strike, a whole host of spaces in Toronto could be left without cleaners.