Firedoglake - Firedoglake weblog: "Houston, we have a solution.
You've heard it all before. Unions can't organize in the South — maybe Florida, but never in Texas. Immigrant workers are too intimidated to organize. Blah, blah, blah.
5,300 janitors in Houston just proved everyone wrong yesterday with an amazing contract victory in Houston, Texas. After months of negotiations and failure to reach a contract, the janitors went on strike last month for higher pay, more guaranteed work hours and health insurance. The janitors, who currently earn $5.30 per hour, were organized by the Service Employees International Union last year in what was the largest union organizing campaign in the South in years.
The victory came only two days after mounted police on horseback violently broke up a peaceful demonstration by strikers and their supporters, throwing dozens into jail. Harris County District Attorney initially set a bond of $888,888 cash for each of the 44 peaceful protesters arrested, for a combined total of $39.1 Million. (Compare this with a $30,000 bond recently set for a Harris County man recently charged with murder.)..."
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