Janitor fired after raising cleaning standards
Donation protected
Two weeks ago, Martha Lorena Cortez was fired by the South Florida janitorial company Greene Kleen. Her employer's cause for termination? Unauthorized use of a microwave to make popcorn.
In reality, Martha Lorena's firing came after she had been organizing at her job for better working conditions. At the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, Martha Lorena supplied her workplace with Clorox, recognizing that the water she was given to clean with wasn't enough to keep the public safe. When Greene Kleen failed to provide janitors with PPE, she sewed masks for her coworkers in her spare time. With the help from the service employees' union, Martha Lorena and her coworkers led a delegation to their employer for better supplies and won.
Greene Kleen's response to Martha Lorena's concern for public health was not to reward her, but to treat her more harshly. This culminated in Ms. Cortez being fired after she brought in popcorn to work and microwaved it.
Martha Lorena is struggling to pay August rent and keep up with bills. A donation of any amount can help her stay afloat as she, her coworkers, and other janitors in Miami demand Greene Kleen hire her back.
An interview with Martha Lorena can be viewed here:
https://twitter.com/i/status/1275799897426612230
The New York Times recently profiled her organizing efforts at the building:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/17/us/coronavirus-janitors.html?auth=login-google
In reality, Martha Lorena's firing came after she had been organizing at her job for better working conditions. At the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, Martha Lorena supplied her workplace with Clorox, recognizing that the water she was given to clean with wasn't enough to keep the public safe. When Greene Kleen failed to provide janitors with PPE, she sewed masks for her coworkers in her spare time. With the help from the service employees' union, Martha Lorena and her coworkers led a delegation to their employer for better supplies and won.
Greene Kleen's response to Martha Lorena's concern for public health was not to reward her, but to treat her more harshly. This culminated in Ms. Cortez being fired after she brought in popcorn to work and microwaved it.
Martha Lorena is struggling to pay August rent and keep up with bills. A donation of any amount can help her stay afloat as she, her coworkers, and other janitors in Miami demand Greene Kleen hire her back.
An interview with Martha Lorena can be viewed here:
https://twitter.com/i/status/1275799897426612230
The New York Times recently profiled her organizing efforts at the building:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/17/us/coronavirus-janitors.html?auth=login-google
Organizer
Mya Sampson
Organizer
Miami, FL