By Clark Randall
*All names & detailed descriptions withheld by request*
“I wake up ‘bout like three, three-thirty every morning…just to catch the buses so I can get here
on time. I go to bed maybe eleven, eleven-thirty. And you know me, I haven’t missed a day of
work since 20**. Not one.”
“It’s crazy. They treat us like kids—you have to text the manager to take a smoke break or go to
the bathroom or anything. And if they catch you you’ll get suspended. They’ll suspend you for
anything. If you don’t clock out right on time, even if you’re still cleaning, they get you. It’s just
like a one day thing, but if you get suspended too many times they’ll fire you.”
“We are fighting for sick days now. The janitors over at Webster University and SLU, they get
sick days and some of them even get benefits. They don’t even give us bereavement days. For
instance, my [close family member] passed away and I was at work the next day.”
“On top of everything they just punish you for the pettiest things. Just the other week [we] ran
out of clean rags on the job and my manager tried to tell [us] to use [our] hands—like [we are]
going to do that. [We] shouldn’t have to show up to work scared every day that they might
suspend me or fire me over petty stuff, because that’s just what it is.”
“It is slavery, and I don’t mean to exaggerate the situation, but it is modern-day slavery.”
***
on time. I go to bed maybe eleven, eleven-thirty. And you know me, I haven’t missed a day of
work since 20**. Not one.”
“It’s crazy. They treat us like kids—you have to text the manager to take a smoke break or go to
the bathroom or anything. And if they catch you you’ll get suspended. They’ll suspend you for
anything. If you don’t clock out right on time, even if you’re still cleaning, they get you. It’s just
like a one day thing, but if you get suspended too many times they’ll fire you.”
“We are fighting for sick days now. The janitors over at Webster University and SLU, they get
sick days and some of them even get benefits. They don’t even give us bereavement days. For
instance, my [close family member] passed away and I was at work the next day.”
“On top of everything they just punish you for the pettiest things. Just the other week [we] ran
out of clean rags on the job and my manager tried to tell [us] to use [our] hands—like [we are]
going to do that. [We] shouldn’t have to show up to work scared every day that they might
suspend me or fire me over petty stuff, because that’s just what it is.”
“It is slavery, and I don’t mean to exaggerate the situation, but it is modern-day slavery.”
***
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