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Office cleaners, hotel workers march through downtown to highlight vital work

PITTSBURGH — People who were considered essential workers during the pandemic marched through downtown Tuesday, ending at the City-County Building to have their voices heard.

Workers who clean downtown office buildings and work in downtown hotels and their supporters marched through the heart of the business district to make a point — that their work is vital and they deserve to be paid a fair wage and maintain benefits.

The office cleaners are members of 32BJ SEIU Service Employees International Union and the hotel workers are Unite HERE Local 57 members.

With their contracts about to expire, the workers took their concerns directly to city leaders.

“Our members and hotel workers, like everybody in the region, have endured double-digit inflation for the last couple of years. Wage increases built into our contract did not keep up with that inflation. And none of these workers were paid a single dime of hazard pay during (the) entire pandemic,” said Sam Williamson, district director of Western PA SEIU 32BJ. “So if we go to the bargaining table, our demands are pretty clear and simple.”

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