Janitors authorize strike, target Irvine Co.

Thousands of Orange County janitors may walk off their jobs in the near future, as their union voted today to authorize a strike and urged the public to put pressure on the Irvine Co. to help resolve a contract dispute.

The announcement from the Service Employees International Union, which claims to represent more than 2,000 janitors in Orange County, came three days after the union staged a march through Fashion Island demanding higher wages, improved health care and affordable housing. The janitors’ contract ran out this week, and negotiations for a new contract remain at a standstill.

The union plans to file charges with the federal labor board against Able, ABM, OneSource, DMS and other janitorial contractors, according to spokeswoman Gina Bowers. However, Bowers and her colleagues have directed most of their anger toward the Irvine Co., which works with a number of janitorial providers.

The union’s website launched this week compares the struggle between janitors and the Irvine Co. to the battle between David and Goliath, and asks residents to write to company Chairman Donald Bren urging him to intervene on behalf of the janitors.

Bill Rams, a spokesman for the Irvine Co., said the union had targeted his group unfairly.

“The reality is, it’s these janitorial service providers who are at the table talking with the union,” he said. “Obviously, we hope that both sides, both the janitor service companies and the union, can resolve this matter quickly.”

Bowers acknowledged that not all, or even most, of the union’s janitors may work for Irvine Co.-related firms, but said the company still had a large amount of clout in negotiations.

The union, in its release, cited Fashion Island, the Irvine Spectrum Center and other Irvine Co. properties as possible locations for walkouts.

“The reason the Irvine Co. is coming under so much scrutiny right now is they are such a huge force in commercial realty,” Bowers said. “Just because of their size, the decisions they make have huge ramifications for everyone in the community.”

The Orange County Labor Federation plans to make a formal announcement Monday supporting the janitors and promising to honor the picket lines if a strike takes place.

“We want to make it clear that it’s not a battle only for the janitors,” said Tefere Gebre, the executive director of the federation. “It’s a battle for all working people in Orange County.”

MICHAEL MILLER may be reached at (714) 966-4617 or at michael.miller@latimes.com.