According to reports from the Miami Herald, janitors at Florida International University will be eligible for salary increases of almost 50 percent, as well as access to healthcare. The benefits are a result of a plan to bring the janitorial staff positions back in-house.

The decision to move the janitorial department in-house was a result of the Service Employees International Union fighting for representation of the 133 or so workers who were contracted to work at the facility. Those workers starting wage was $6.40 an hour.

The new in-house positions will start at $9.58 an hour, which is the federal living wage. According to the article, workers will have access to the same healthcare plans offered to all other university employees, and will be represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. AFSCME already represents more than a dozen janitors working at the university.

University officials are encouraging the current contract workers to apply for the open positions, and will be given first interviews during the hiring process.

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