2 City-County councilors cited as part of janitors’ protest

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Two Indianapolis City-County councilors were cited Thursday as part of a janitors’ protest outside the Eli Lilly Corporate Center.

Janitors with Service Employees International Union Local 1 rallied outside Delaware and McCarty streets on Thursday afternoon. Councilors Zach Adamson and William “Duke” Oliver, both Democrats, joined the janitors’ protest. 

Police said 48 protesters, including Adamson and Oliver, were removed from the area “peacefully and without incident” and were written a summons for violation of a city ordinance about obedience to police and fire department officials.

According to Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, protesters were not processed at central receiving and no booking photos of the protesters were taken.

In a news release, the union said the janitors who clean Eli Lilly and other buildings in Indianapolis have hourly wages as low as $9.75 without affordable health insurance and sick leave. Many of the janitors’ families rely on public assistance, the release said.

The next bargaining session between janitors and cleaning companies GSF, SBM, Platinum Cleaning and ABM is set for Tuesday, the union said.