‘Dirty Work?’ Gender, Race and the Union in Industrial Cleaning

The study uses an eclectic framework and through an intersectional analysis and use of narratives explores the meaning of janitorial work, the gender division of labour ( GDL ), the unions and organizing for janitors engaged in industrial cleaning for a big cleaning company, P luto, in T oronto. Pluto was organized by the S ervice E mployees I nternational U nion ( SEIU ) in 2006. The study is based on the organizing drive for P luto and uses participant observation and interview methods. Intersectional analysis is useful in understanding the worker's perceptions of the racialized, gendered and classed constitution of cleaning work as ‘dirty’ and their resistance to these constructs. We explore GDL in industrial cleaning and the construction of women's work as ‘light duty’ and men's work as ‘heavy duty’. We conclude that union membership is important not only for material benefits of the janitors but also for their alternative identity construction. However, there is a persistence of GDL and gender pay equity is not addressed seriously in the organizing drive or upon organizing.