Twelve janitors at Twitter's New York City headquarters are on strike to protest the company's decision to fire off all cleaning staff hired by contractor Flagship Services without explanation.
This is the latest round of layoffs at Twitter since Elon Musk seized control on October 27, 2022.
Acts of Protests
On Tuesday, Jan. 10, members of the 32BJ SEIU union who had been laid off from Twitter held a demonstration outside the company's headquarters in New York City, The Guardian reports.
Twitter informed the staff that their employment and the associated contract were terminated as of the evening of December 19, 2022. According to these sources, Twitter has kept the same personnel since 2015, even while switching contractors in the past.
Denis Johnston, senior vice president and head of 32BJ SEIU's commercial section, said New York's vital cleaners had done too much for the city to be disrespected that way.
He added that janitors risked their lives to keep employees and the public safe during the pandemic and are crucial to the city's economic revival in the wake of the outbreak.
'Not Right'
Laureta is a single mother who has worked as a janitor at the company's New York City headquarters for years. She was allegedly let go without any warning.
"I want to go back to work, and I want to know why Elon Musk is getting rid of us," Laureta told The Guardian. She thinks the decision was not right.
Another janitor, Merita, who has been with Twitter since it opened a New York office in 2015, has spoken out against the layoffs. She cited the negative effects on her health as a result of losing her health insurance and the recurring cost of the medicine she uses to treat her stomach issues.
"We need health insurance; that's why we need to fight for our jobs back to have our union, healthcare, everything," Merita stated.
There was no mention of why Flagship Services' contract was abruptly terminated or who would be replacing the janitors in the notice they were given.
Accountability
Cleaning staff at Twitter's San Francisco offices were dismissed unexpectedly in early December 2022, as well.
San Francisco city attorney David Chiu has said that he is looking into whether Twitter breached the law with the abrupt cutbacks. The regulations require firms to retain personnel for at least 90 days during a shift between contractors.
About half of Twitter's staff has been let go since Musk took control. The company's treatment of them has led to several lawsuits and calls for arbitration.
