Justice for Janitors: How janitors in Denver sparked a labor movement that spread beyond Colorado

The City of Denver is honoring the labor of thousands of workers whose jobs often go unnoticed, happening in office buildings and hallways after most of us have gone home.

Mayor Mike Johnston signed a proclamation last week declaring June 15 Justice for Janitors Day.

For Rocky Mountain Community Radio, KGNU’s Dave Ashton spoke with Stephanie Felix-Sowy, president of SEIU Local 105, about how janitors in Denver sparked a labor movement that spread well beyond Colorado.

“Janitors 40 years ago saw that the standards in the industry were really low,” she says. “Everything from pay, to no health insurance, to their vacation days, sick days, how they structure their work in the buildings.”

As a result, janitors started organizing and working with contractors to ultimately increase standards across the board.

This story was excerpted for the Morning Magazine and originally aired on Metro, KGNU’s daily show focusing on issues affecting the Metro Denver, Boulder & Front Range community. Click here to listen to other episodes of Metro.