Janitors gather at Fred Meyer on election day.

A group of janitors at a Fred Meyer warehouse in Puyallup have voted in overwhelming numbers to join forces with Teamsters Local 117. The twenty-nine workers united over job security, respect, and having a voice in the workplace.

“I am excited,” said Missy Orlean about the 25-4 vote to join the Teamsters. “Being a part of the Union will make us stronger. Now we have the right to negotiate over wages, benefits, and job security – just like our co-workers in the warehouse who are already in the Union.”

The NLRB election was held on Wednesday, June 3, with polls opening at 8 A.M. By seven in the morning on election day, the majority of janitors had already gathered outside the facility wearing ‘Teamster Power’ t-shirts and buttons that read, ‘United We Bargain, Divided We Beg’ and ‘VOTE YES!”

Workers were confident before the vote that the Union would prevail. “We’re going to win because we’re united around issues of fairness and respect,” said John Eubanks, a one-year employee of the company. Eubanks’ co-worker, Joyce Vanwinkle, also weighed in: “I’m here to vote yes,” she said. “We’re like a family here. There has been a lot of moral support from the Teamsters in our effort to organize.”

The janitors’ decision to organize has been greeted enthusiastically by the other Teamsters at Fred Meyer. In a show of solidarity with the janitors, hundreds of Local 117 members in the warehouse wore stickers supporting the janitors in the weeks leading up to the election. Several Local 117 Teamsters also actively participated in helping the group get organized. One member, 12-year employee Brandon Wells, opened up his house for weekly meetings where Teamster warehouse workers and janitors met and strategized together.

Longtime Fred Meyer Teamster Tim Kirby talked about why the support for the janitors is so strong. “We’re all striving for the same thing – job security and respect for ourselves and our families,” he said.