Workers come together in Bloomfield to Rally against ERCT Capital Group

Workers demand new building owner to reject Planned Companies and engage a responsible contractor

Bloomfield, NJ – Workers came together at the Broadacres complex in Bloomfield to raise their voice against the unacceptable treatment they receive from their employer, Planned Companies. The rally comes after workers delivered a petition to the new building owner, ERCT Capital Group, urging them to replace Planned with a union company that will restore their lost wages and treat the workers with dignity.

Broadacres is an upscale office complex located at 1455 Broad Street and 200, 300 and 400 Broadacres Avenue in Bloomfield, New Jersey. 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/hour in addition to cutting workers’ full family health plan.

“Planned is an unscrupulous company, who stripped the workers of their healthcare benefits and reduced their wages,” said Kevin Brown Vice President and NJ Director of 32BJ SEIU, “We will no longer allow Planned to mistreat essential workers, who have worked hard keeping the tenants safe and healthy throughout this pandemic. We are here to demand fair wages and health benefits. We are here to demand justice.”

Joining the rally was Mayor of Bloomfield Mr. Michael Venezia, “We are outraged to find out that this type of injustice is going on in our Township. 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. 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.”

After the subcontracted cleaners weathered the pandemic their wages were cut.

“For the past month, my family and I had to make some drastic changes to our lives,” commented Roxaida Liz, one of the cleaners. “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.”

With more than 175,000 members in 11 states, including 13,000 in New Jersey, 32BJ SEIU is the largest property service workers union in the country.