Baltimore – On Wednesday, Feb. 11, janitors working for CVVY Enterprises, SEIU Local 32BJ, local activists and church leaders met in front of the Department of Labor office on 100 S. Charles Street to make a simple demand: that workers be treated with respect and dignity.
CVVY Enterprises contracts to clean the Department of Labor office and those of some other state agencies. The company has withheld wages, threatened workers, attempted to reclassify them as “independent contractors,” fired employees, and cut hourly pay to below minimum wage. The company hired union contractors but failed to disclose pay rate decreases, pay stubs and schedules. While this took place, they pushed for classifying workers as contractors to escape the legal responsibility of giving workers overtime pay and benefits.
Union Local 32BJ has worked together with CVVY janitors to fight back against this exploitation by filing a complaint to both the Baltimore Wage Commission and the National Labor Relations Board.
Wednesday’s events began with a noon picket line, which transitioned into a press conference. City council members Odette Ramos and John T. Bullock attended to support the workers with words of encouragement. Union leader Francisco Riviera chaired the rally.
Two former CVVY employees – Ms. Mary and Ms. Viviana – gave testimony on how CVVY Enterprises impacted them and their families. Mary is a 63-year-old former union worker. She is responsible for taking care of her disabled child while also dealing with her own health issues. CVVY Enterprises fired her with no explanation, though she felt it was in retaliation for advocating for herself and co-workers’ rights.
Ms. Viviana is also a single mother with a daughter off at college. Unexpectedly, family members passed away, leaving her with bills and in debt because of funeral expenses. Without warning, CVVY fired her, after losing medical benefits, vacation time and sick days. This was also retaliation for wanting to reform a union.
While the capitalist economy may be working fine for CVVY owner Ryan Nguyen, employees struggle to pay bills, always looking for another means to get by. In Baltimore, the cost of living has skyrocketed, with increased fees from BGE (Baltimore Gas and Electric Company) and the national increase in food costs.
It is important for workers to realize that their labor matters. It is an investment into society. Workers keep society running. All workers, no matter what sector, deserve basic human rights and dignity. Unfortunately, we see that only 9.9% of the working class is unionized. That needs to change. It is important to fight against the bosses taking advantage of labor and tax money, especially when they are contracted for public purposes like maintaining state buildings and offices.
This is the time for us to realise that corporations are not looking out for their workers, so we must band together to look out for ourselves.
“Worker’s rights and civil rights are interconnected because this is a fight for economic justice.” – Francisco Riviera.
Currently, a bill to provide workers with more protections against underpayment and wage theft is making its way through Maryland’s state legislature – House Bill 1096. The next hearing for the bill is Thursday, Feb. 26, at 1:00 p.m. at the Maryland General Assembly House in Annapolis.
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