NOW "Janitor Justice?" | PBS

From the creator

Watch this NOW web-exclusive complete report profiling a major movement in Texas to establish better wages for hard-working people in America. The Lone Star State is home to the highest number of minimum wage workers in the country - 176,000 people - earning as little as $5.15 an hour. In fact, the janitors in Houston earn less than janitors in any other big city in America. But with federal minimum wage bills stalled in Congress and no minimum wage initiatives on the Texas ballot this year, many workers feel stuck in a cycle of economic desperation. Last year, over 5000 Houston janitors signed up with the SEIU, the Service Employee's International Union, to press for living wages and benefits that at least match those found in other states. They named their cause "Justice for Janitors," and they called a strike just this week to fight for a living wage. But joining a union is a risky move for someone in a low-skill job when your entire livelihood is on the line and your employer has little incentive to change. Watch NOW on PBS Friday night (check local listings) for a full report on minimum wage politics in Missouri and around the country: http://www.pbs.org/now

Published 2006-10-27 · Watch on YouTube ↗
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