Janitors Walk Off the Job in SF for COVID Protections and More

Photos by Terry Scussel, ProBonoPhoto.org and
Steve Disenhof, ProBonoPhoto.org
Please credit the photographer as noted. Top photo by Steve Disenhof.

Protesters at the start of a labor strike spoke out and hoisted protest signs in front of Salesforce Tower on Wednesday.

Many companies in the immediate vicinity contract with custodians through facility management firms including Able Services. The list of those companies reads like a Wall Street Journal report on Silicon Valley successes: Twitter, AirBnB, Facebook, Amazon and more.

At least 26 workers have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic began according to SEIU Local 87 members. With work-from-home becoming the new normal for many, over 3,000 janitors have been laid off. Those who remain at work in buildings need better ventilation and protective gear. Janitors, largely immigrant women, need better sexual harassment protections too.

It goes without saying that sick pay is a key issue during the pandemic. While those who have work-from-home jobs get to stay in relative safety, on-the-job janitors have continued to labor in environments that are often dangerous.

Striking laborers wore matching t-shirts to display solidarity for their cause. After speakers and chants they marched side by side, masked up yet one in spirit, temporarily closing some of the streets of the city.