Key provisions of the deal include wage increases that range from 4% to 13% for the three tiers of janitorial workers in the union, along with increases of $384 to $765 per month in benefit packages for qualifying workers.

Richard Dotts, president of Diversified Maintenance Services Inc. in Los Angeles and one of the negotiators, says the contract covers more than 8,000 janitors in Los Angeles County. Depending on the geographic area where they work, janitors earn from $7.50 to $11 per hour, plus full family health insurance and benefits. BOMA says the cost of health insurance and other benefits was of particular concern to both the building owners and the union because health-care program costs have increased almost 40% over the last three years, the length of the old contract.

This is the first time BOMA of Greater Los Angeles has participated in janitorial negotiations with the SEIU. Earlier this year, the BOMA board of directors voted to have its labor relations committee negotiate the janitorial contract for those contractors and building owners who wished to be represented. Building owners representing approximately 42 million sf of office space agreed to participate. The BOMA committee was led by Alan D. Levy, chairman of Tishman International Cos. The LA BOMA chapter represents more than 100 million sf of real estate in Los Angeles County.