A local union of Stanford janitors met Wednesday to consider striking if their demands for a living wage are not met by ABM Janitorial Services, an outside contractor that supplies workers to the University.

Stanford hires 132 janitors through ABM who are part of the local branch of the Service Employees International Union, known as Local 717. The workers’ five-year contract with ABM expired on April 30, and since then the janitors have been in a state of limbo as their union and ABM negotiate for the next contract.

Under the former contract, the workers’ wages increased by a total of $1 over five years. ABM’s starting offer in current contract renegotiations was a five-year contract with a wage increase of 10 cents each year. ABM also indicated that, because of increasing cost of Medicare, they may no longer provide the workers with health insurance.

“The cost of living in this area increases a lot,” said Imar Liborio, who addressed the lecture hall full of fellow janitors dressed in matching grey ABM t-shirts. “Ten cents more each year is not enough.”

The janitors are hoping to obtain a wage equal to the living wage paid to other Stanford workers. Following a hunger strike led by the Stanford Labor Action Coalition (SLAC) last year, Stanford agreed to pay most of its workers the living wage.

This policy, however, excludes these unionized workers.

These workers are hoping that ABM’s next offer will be more generous. If not, they are looking to Stanford to make up the difference and ensure that they are paid a more generous wage.

Local 717 held a “Justice for Janitors” rally at Stanford on April 30. Over a hundred Stanford janitors and students marched through the quad and into White Plaza demanding higher wages, health care and more rights.

A similar rally was held the next day at Google’s campus in Mountain View. Google soon after agreed to pay all of its workers hired through ABM a living wage even if their contractor refuses to do so. Genentech, another Silicon Valley company, has announced it will do the same.

“Other companies like Google have already done this,” Liborio explained last night. “Stanford has more money. And, there are people who are on both the Google and the Stanford Board.”

If these workers decide not to accept ABM’s final offer, janitors will opt to strike if Stanford does not provide an agreeable substitute offer.

Doroteo Garcia, a janitor in the Cantor Arts Center who was featured in a 2005 New York Times article, implored the workers assembled to join in should there be a strike.

“If we don’t push the companies,” Garcia explained, “they will do what they want. It is ridiculous and unjust. If you don’t go, it’s on your conscience — you need to fight for us all. But if we all join in the struggle, everyone will benefit.”

A young woman with red-tinted hair spoke up.

“What about the people who don’t strike?” she asked. “I will strike because 10 cents is an embarrassment. But what about people who can’t support the strike?”

Liborio didn’t hesitate.

“People who go against a strike have 10 days to leave the union,” Liborio said. “If you want to continue with the wages you currently get, you agree to only survive, not to live.”

“We are janitors.” Liborio said. “But we have dignity. We need to fight for that dignity.”