New York City janitors and cleaners rallied in Bryant Park on Thursday to demand a new contract with better wages and benefits.  

Those at the rally say their current contract is just a few months away from expiring, and that they need a raise with inflation raising costs.  

The workers are responsible for cleaning thousands of buildings citywide. Many of them are 32BJ SEIU labor union members, and the union represents over 80,000 building service workers including 20,000 commercial office cleaners.  

Denis Johnston, president of 32BJ SEIU, says the workers put themselves at risk throughout the pandemic and deserve more.  

“As essential workers, these office cleaners persevered through extraordinary circumstances and put themselves and their families at risk while making it possible for New York City office buildings to safely reopen as tenants returned to work,” said Johnston.  

Members of the union are hoping a new contract comes soon before their current contract expires toward at the end of 2023.