WHO: Childcare workers, CSEA SEIU Local 2001
Cleaners and their children
State Representative Ed Vargas, 6th Assembly District, Hartford
State Representative Russell Morin, 28th Assembly District, Wethersfield
Daryl Brackeen, Alderperson, New Haven
Workers and supporters
WHAT: Rally in support of displaced cleaners’ children as school starts
WHERE: 500 Enterprise Drive
Rocky Hill, CT 06067
WHEN: 3:30 P.M., Wednesday, September 9, 2015
HARTFORD, Conn. — On Wednesday at 3:30 p.m., 150 workers, community leaders, and elected officials will gather at 500 Enterprise Drive in Rocky Hill, outside Hartford, to demonstrate their solidarity with the families of nine cleaners who were displaced from their jobs when the building owner, KS Partners, ended its relationship with a cleaning contractor on July 1 and then refused to rehire the workers. The National Labor Relations Board is now investigating KS Partners for unfair labor practices toward these workers for their union activities. Six of these cleaners have children who face new hardships as school starts. The rally will serve to thank those in the community who have lent support, including childcare workers at CSEA union Local 2001, who recently provided backpacks filled with school supplies for the cleaners’ children.
“The situation has been really hard for my husband and me and our two girls,” said Patricia Guerrero, who worked at 500 Enterprise since 2006. “We are very grateful to CSEA for their generosity in providing these supplies, and we are happy to publicly thank them for their efforts on Wednesday.”
“The cleaners have been rallying outside the building every workday for over two months, to let KS Partners know that their treatment has been unfair,” said Juan Hernandez, District Leader of SEIU 32BJ in Hartford. “The community has responded in many positive ways, including by offering the children of these cleaners backpacks filled with school supplies. We wanted to publicly thank those supporters. But it’s also important to demonstrate to the broader community that this kind of heartless mistreatment of workers is not welcome in Connecticut.”
With more than 145,000 member in 11 states and Washington DC, including 4,000 members in Connecticut, 32BJ is the largest building service workers union in the country.