Unitarian Universalist support for the Justice for Janitors Campaign:

Action by UU groups

UUMA Mass Bay Chapter
The Rev. David Carl Olson of The Community Church of Boston and the Rev. Victor Carpenter (emeritus minister), First Parish in Belmont, MA, spoke at the Oct. 2nd Mass Bay District UU Ministers Association chapter meeting in support of the janitors' strike. The Rev. Olson is President of Greater Boston Interfaith Organization (GBIO), an interfaith organization which includes several area UU churches.

After the Revs. Olson and Carpenter asked for support for the Justice for Janitors campaign, the Rev. Laurie Auffant (MRE, Follen Church Society, Lexington MA) stood up and asked the ministers to lead by example and join her to raise money for the strike fund. By the end of the meeting over $1,300 was raised in a strike support collection and the gathered ministers pledged to organize support for the strike in their congregations.

The Massachusetts Chapter of UUs for a Just Economic Community (UUJEC) is organizing for the Justice with Janitors campaign and collecting donations for the strike fund. The Rev. John Gilmore, chapter president (who serves as First Parish in Framingham's Faith in Action Associate) spoke at a pre-strike rally at the Unicco Building (the agency which contracts with the janitors and the building owners) and at a rally on Saturday, September 28th, in Copley Square. Rev. Gilmore also went with an interfaith group of ministers, the Interfaith Coalition for Worker Justice, and several visiting chaplains from throughout the country studying to work in businesses (including UUs), to an "unscheduled meeting" with representatives at Unicco and stated their case in support of the janitors' demands to them.

On Oct. 10th , UUJEC and the Unitarian Universalist Migrant Ministry hosted a meeting of Unitarian Universalists working in support of the "Justice for Janitors" campaign. The meeting was for Unitarian Universalists involved with districts, congregations, student groups, clergy associations, and associate and affiliate organizations to identify appropriate strategies for Unitarian Universalists who want to support the strike.

The Young Religious Unitarian Universalists (YRUU) Steering Committee which was meeting in Boston , left their meeting early on Friday Oct. 4th to join a picket line in support of the striking janitors. Chanting "No justice, no peace," they stood in solidarity with the striking workers.

Congregational Action
Community Church in Boston is serving as a strike support center for the Back Bay janitorial strike workers. They are distributing strike benefits, serving food, providing meeting space, and receiving donations for the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization (GBIO) Strike Fund, c/o The Community Church of Boston, 565 Boyston St., Boston MA 02116. (Contact the Rev. David Olson at 617-266-6710 or commchurch@igc.org).

The Follen Church Society, Lexington MA, will collect a second offering at their Sunday worship on Oct. 13th to be donated to the strikers and their families. A member of their Social Concerns Committee will provide education about the Justice for Janitors campaign (Contact the Rev. Laurie Auffant at uulja1@cs.com).

Arlington Street Church is collecting food and money for the strikers and their families. On Oct. 20th they are hosting a dinner for 700 janitors. The Rev. Kim Crawford Harvie spoke at the first strike support rally at Old West Church on September 30th. ASC members who attended the rally organized a congregational phone tree that resulted in 500 phone calls to the five major property owners of the buildings cleaned by the janitorial union members. The following day three of the owners made statements to the press regarding negotiating with the union for better working conditions and benefits. ASC also hosted a "GBIO Sunday" (ASC is a member of the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization) that reported on the accomplishments of their interfaith efforts and called for ASC to join in the Justice for Janitors Campaign. (For more information, contact Social Action Committee member Nancy Moore at nancy.moore5@verizon.net).

Tricia Brennan, Assistant Minister, Kings Chapel, reported, "Over the summer I served as a clergy presence/observer at the negotiations between the janitors union and the cleaning companies. In September I stood with other clergy outside the Parkman House (the business residence of Boston Mayor Menino) - singing, praying and speeches- as the janitors walked in for talks that the Mayor was initiating. There was coverage and a photo the next day in the Boston Globe from this action that some of the other clergy and I were in. With four other UU ministers and the Katie Proulx (from Mass Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice), I met with UUA President Bill [regarding this issue]. And obviously I've brought this issue to my congregation, Kings Chapel, where I serve as the Asst. Minister. Members of the Social Action committee are interested in taking further steps and I will let you know what may materialize from their involvement.

First Parish Church Quincy (also a GBIO member church) participated in the Janitors in the Pulpit program (part of the Justice for Janitors campaign) in September and is raising funds for the strikers.

First Parish of Framingham has responded to the Justice for Janitors campaign by raising funds and sending bundled checks to the SEIU to support the janitors. The issue was also raised in a sermon by the Rev. Stephanie Nichols on Sunday, Oct. 6th, who spoke of the injustice of the janitors not being paid enough for the work that they do to live on.

The UU Church of Greater Lynn's social concerns committee voted to contribute $500 to the SEIU janitors strike fund and to consider other ways to support if strike continues.

"Over the summer, we at the Unitarian Universalist Society in Stamford (CT) had the Stamford Organizing Network do a presentation about the need for affordable housing, and living wages. Our ministers, both previous and present-day are supporters of the Justice for Janitors campaign." From Leslie Weinberg (lawein@optonline.net).

Action by other groups

The Massachusetts Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice has been active in supporting the "Justice for Janitors" campaign. The Interfaith Committee works closely with the Jewish Labor Committee, the Unitarian Universalist Migrant Ministry, and the Greater Boston Labor Guild, which includes many Roman Catholic labor activists. Rev. Robert Murphy, at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Falmouth, is a source of information on the Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice. Home telephone: (508) 563-5948. Bob has helped to develop support for "Justice for Janitors" in the Ballou Channing District. He is able to assist congregations in southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

• Back to Justice for Janitors Statement

Unitarian Universalist Association
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