San Diego, CA – On January 19, janitors who are contracted to work at the San Diego County Administration Center building will call on the contractor NOVA to abandon their unfair working conditions and reinstate workers who were illegally terminated.
One of the illegally terminated workers described being “forced to kneel and remove wax from the floor with a knife and chemicals for eight hours … causing nausea, bloodshot eyes, and vomiting.” The worker reported receiving “no protective equipment such as a face mask, goggles, or knee pads” to carry out this task in a basement bathroom of the County Administrative Building. (Photos of the incident can be found here.) Several workers have filed charges of unfair labor practices (ULPs) with the National Labor Relations Board, including retaliation, demotion, harassment, and termination.
Workers who spoke up against exploitative working conditions were terminated after the San Diego Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a “sweeping pro-worker policy … to help screen out bad taxpayer-funded contractors.”
Thursday, January 19 at 11AM
WHAT: Contracted janitors and allies rally outside of the San Diego County Administration Center building to call on NOVA to end unfair labor practices. Workers and leaders will be available to talk to media.
WHERE: San Diego County Administration Center, 1600 Pacific Hwy, San Diego, CA 92101
Visuals: Janitors will have picket signs and will be chanting.
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SEIU United Service Workers West represents more than 45,000 janitors, security officers, airport service workers, and other property service workers across California.
