Photo: (Jacqueline García / Real America News) / Impremedia
Hundreds of janitors gathered on Hollywood Boulevard on Thursday to demand a better employment contract. They claim that since 2016 that their contract expired they have been working with extensions and without sufficient benefits.
Among their requests, essential workers want companies to provide them with better wages, more comprehensive health insurance, paid sick hours for those who come out infected with the covid- 19 Y pension benefits.
They also ask their contractor companies for more investment in Latino immigrant and other minority communities to end poverty jobs .
While As the economy gradually returns to normal, the workers – such as janitors, security officers, booth cleaners and other essential services workers – who kept California running stress that the status quo of the past is unacceptable.
While the leaders do Indicles met with employer corporations to renew a fairer contract at the state level, workers took it upon themselves to do their part on the streets.
In Los Angeles, shortly before leaving for Hollywood, workers gathered at the headquarters of the SEIU-United Service Workers West (USWW) to collect their banners and drums.
Roberto Cuestas, who has worked as a cleaning employee for 32 years, he said that during the pandemic he had to see colleagues who came out infected with covid – 19.
And it is because of the job they have to clean offices and buildings it is impossible for them to work from home.
“Yes we knew about several colleagues who died of covid, one of them was close, “said Cuestas.
“All this time my wife and I were p reoccupied not to get infected. We used masks and hand sanitizer ”, he said.
Margarita Larin, is another affected employee who has worked in cleaning for 25 years.
“We all know that janitors have been at the forefront of the pandemic but our work is not recognized,” she said disappointed.
He asserted that he also experienced difficult moments when he returned from work to her home fearing that if she was infected she could infect her husband and children.
To her fortune, so far neither she nor anyone else of his immediate family has been infected with coronavirus.
At work he said he had witnessed that when someone came out infected with covid – 19 did not let him go to work. However, he adds, that although that was good, he saw that they were not paid their sick hours either.
Evangelina López, who has worked in cleaning for 32 years, he also saw affected colleagues who had to stay in quarantine at home without receiving any payment.
“We are essential workers, we keep their buildings cleaner but the rich get richer and the poor get poorer,” he said.
The SEIU-USWW represents more than 32, 07 employees throughout California.
Union representatives said that the covid pandemic – 19 exposed the lack of investment in the African American and Latino communities in the State Gold and nationwide.
Latinos represent a higher proportion of confirmed cases and deaths from covid – 19, compared to the population
Afro-American. In addition, the numbers of those affected are almost twice what they represent in the population.
While essential services workers face difficulties, American businesses have prospered by the millions.
Of the 25 most profitable US corporations, 17 of them – including Microsoft, Johnson & Johnson, Facebook, Pfizer, and Visa – earned nearly $ 85, 000 million more in 2020 than in previous years.