SILICON VALLEY – On the fourth day of a growing Bay Area strike, four hundred janitors will gather at Cisco Systems at 12:30 PM today to call on the hi-tech industry powerhouse to support good jobs with adequate health care for janitors and their families. Janitors will rally at 3850 Zanker Road before marching through areas of Cisco’s sprawling corporate campus.

Despite servicing some of the most profitable industries and office properties in the state— including Oracle, Cisco Systems, Bishop Ranch, HP, Yahoo, and City Center—Silicon Valley/Bay Area janitors are paid just $23,000 a year—less than half of what the Center for Economic Policy reports it takes to survive in California. Area janitors are paid far less than janitors doing the same work earn in San Francisco, New York, and Chicago and must wait as long as 2 ½ years to receive health care.

WHAT: Janitors Rally/March
WHEN: 12:30 PM Friday, May 23, 2008
WHERE: Cisco Systems (3850 Zanker Rd. near E. Tasman Dr.)
VISUAL: 400 striking janitors from throughout the Bay Area, picket signs, flags, banners, noise-makers

Contract talks for more than 6,000 janitors ended last Thursday with the Bay Area’s largest cleaning companies refusing after months of negotiations to propose even modest pay and benefit improvements to janitors. In addition, the cleaning companies are facing an investigation by the federal labor board over charges they illegally attempted to silence and intimidated janitors who have been speaking out for justice.

For more information about SEIU Local 1877 Justice for Janitors visit: http://www.seiu-usww.org.