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San Francisco, CA: Justice
for Janitors Rally
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
- Protested outside of the Millennium Tower which contracts with
Preferred Building Services at 301 Mission St.
- Marched through SF Financial District
- Protested in front of United States Immigration Station and
Appraisers Building.
Workers gathered to protest Preferred
Building Services over low wages and allegations of sexual harassment.
Protesters were chanting in both Spanish
and English and are calling for justice and a living wage now!
The janitors who worked for Preferred
Building Services, mostly women, were so fed up with the sexual
harassment, being paid the minimum wage, not getting paid sick
days as mandated by City law, and having to pay medical bills
for on-the-job injuries out of their own pocket, that they said
"we don't care what happens to us, if we are fired or deported,
but we have to speak out for justice." The did speak out.
They picketed the building where they cleaned the offices of
KGO radio, and other buildings where Preferred Building Services
had contracts. They filed a sexual harassment claim with the
federal Equal Employment Opportunities Commission. They filed
a complaint for unpaid sick time with the city Office of Labor
Standards Enforcement. And they filed a complaint with the state
Labor Commissioner on unpaid overtime and missing meal breaks
and rest breaks. Preferred Building Services lost its contract
at two buildings and the contract went to union companies. The
company retaliated by terminating the workers. They were not
transferred to other buildings, and two who cleaned other buildings
were fired with the supervisor openly saying it was for union
activities. The workers are now preparing to go to the federal
National Labor Relations Board to file charges of retaliation
for exercising their legally protected right to organize.
Protest ended in front of the United
States Immigration Station and Appraisers Building to protest
the ruling of a federal judge in Texas that has momentarily blocked
Barack Obama's executive action on immigration, granting 26 states
more time to try to stop a plan that would spare millions of
people from deportation.
Co-Participants In Protest in Solidarity:
SF Living
Wage Coalition
Instituto
Laboral De La Raza
La Voz Latina Del Tenderloin
Workers World
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