SEIU Local 1 Vice President Yanela Sims Responds to Sherwin-Williams Receiving $100 Million Incentive Package
The Fortune 500 company is set to receive $100 millions in taxpayer money even after leaving 34 Cleveland janitors and their families out in the cold 

(Plain Press, February 2020) CLEVELAND – The following is a statement from SEIU Local 1 Vice President and Ohio Director Yanela Sims regarding Sherwin-Williams’ $100 million incentive package the company is set to receive from the City of Cleveland:

“It is deeply disappointing that even after kicking more than 30 working families to the curb this winter, Sherwin-Williams is set to receive an incentive package from the City of Cleveland worth $100 million in taxpayer dollars. 

“Janitors who lost their jobs at Sherwin-Williams headquarters, many whom live in our city’s most vulnerable neighborhoods, know the company’s promise to bring good jobs to Cleveland communities is a hollow one. The company is no stranger to using union labor, but they are unwilling to commit to the same standards for African-American janitors who work hard cleaning their facilities. 

“Sherwin-Williams has the power to establish standards for their contractors to follow, and as a responsible corporate citizen they can ensure that hardworking janitors can support their families with higher wages, health insurance, dignified retirement and a voice on the job. Taxpayer dollars should not go towards creating poverty jobs.”