Workers Protest Wage, Benefit Cuts At Bloomfield Office Complex

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — They aren’t just seeking lost wages and health care benefits, they’re demanding “dignity.” That was the message from a group of cleaning workers during a recent protest in Bloomfield.

On Tuesday, workers supported by the 32BJ SEIU labor union launched a rally at the Broadacres office complex, located at 1455 Broad Street and 200, 300 and 400 Broadacres Avenue.

The workers are employed with Parsippany-based Planned Companies, which has an agreement with the complex’s owner, ERCT Capital Group, to perform cleaning services at the properties. Read More: Broadacres Office Park In Bloomfield Has New Owner

Here’s why they’re protesting, according to a statement from 32BJ SEIU:

“In March 2021, P3 – the owner at that time – fired the cleaner’s union employer, Raritan, and brought in Planned Companies. When Planned Companies took over, it cut wages from $16.10 to $12.50 per hour, in addition to cutting workers’ full family health plan.”

Now, workers are demanding that ERCT Capital replace Planned with a union company that will restore their lost wages and “treat them with dignity.”

“For the past month, my family and I had to make some drastic changes to our lives,” said Roxaida Liz, one of the affected workers. “As a mother of two teenagers, I had no choice but to accept the new wages, since I rely on my two jobs to make ends meet.”

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Bloomfield Mayor Michael Venezia was among those at Thursday’s rally.

“We are outraged to find out that this type of injustice is going on in our township,” Venezia said. “We have a strong sense of community. Throughout the pandemic, we have helped and protected each other. We will not allow injustice to prevail here.”

Venezia added:

“We will not stand for the abusive treatment of workers by Planned Companies or anyone else, much less our essential workers, who day to day keep us safe and protected. We urge the building owners, ERCT Capital Group to join us in rejecting these practices and hire a union contractor, who will pay workers a fair wage, give them back their family healthcare and treat them with dignity.”

Kevin Brown, vice president and New Jersey director of 32BJ SEIU, accused Planned Companies of acting “unscrupulously” in its dealings with the workers at the Broadacres office complex.

“We will no longer allow Planned to mistreat essential workers, who have worked hard keeping the tenants safe and healthy throughout this pandemic,” Brown said. “We are here to demand fair wages and health benefits. We are here to demand justice.”

Patch reached out to ERCT Capital for comment, and will update this article with any reply we receive.

Thursday’s dust-up in Bloomfield isn’t the first time that the union and its members have locked horns with Planned Companies. Other recent work disputes have taken place at an apartment complex in Jersey City, an $80 million office building in Newark, and luxury buildings in East Orange, Guttenberg and Englewood.

• See related article: Jersey City Developer To Pay $102K In Back Wages To Cleaners
• See related article: Union Workers, City Officials Blast Contractor At Ironside Newark
• See related article: Essential Workers At 5 NJ Buildings Strike: 'Can't Make A Living'

On Tuesday, Planned Companies released the following statement, blasting the union and explaining more about its efforts to aid employees during the pandemic:

“While Planned Companies has been experiencing a significant rate of growth over the past year plus, SEIU 32BJ has been making false claims and perpetuating untruths about us, our leadership, and our business practices for years. In their quest to recruit new dues-paying members, they have looked to capitalize on our success for their financial gain. In recent months, SEIU has fallen short in union elections and we are hearing buildings wanting to withdraw their recognition, a track record that surely demonstrates they are losing recruiting momentum. At current, they represent just a small handful of the 1,000+ employees in the metropolitan area, with overwhelming numbers of our associates showing trust in their employer, Planned Companies, to provide them with competitive wages and benefits, incentives, health and wellness coverage, and opportunities for advancement, among others.”

The company continued:

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, Planned Companies has continuously provided high-quality personal protective equipment to its associates, augmented its vacation, leave and sick time policies for those needing to care for loved ones with COVID-19, and started the Employee Relief Fund which has awarded more than $400,000 in grants to our employees directly affected by COVID-19.”

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

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