Cleaning contractor budget cuts create mess at State Dept

A week into his tenure, Secretary of State Pompeo faces a number of problems including North Korea, Gaza and fallout from the Iran deal withdrawal, but he may not have been expecting to find such a literal mess in his own office building. Seventeen office cleaners at State have been laid off after their employer, R & R Building Services, was told to slash costs 30%. “I’m so afraid of losing my house that it’s been making me physically ill,” said Blanca Gordada, a single mother who’s been cleaning offices at the State Department for 16 years. Bonita Williams, a single mother of five and grandmother of eight, reports “paralyzing headaches and nausea ever since I lost my job.”  And Isabel Gueverra, who’s been at State for 19 years, says “We never complained and no one ever complained about our work.” The cleaners are members of 32BJ SEIU, and Area Director Jaime Contreras blasted the layoffs, saying “It’s immoral to make working families suffer just to save a few pennies.” Adding insult to injury, the workers were laid off on May 1, International Workers’ Day. The workers have been flyering and collecting petition signatures from State Department staff all week. TAKE ACTION NOW: Click here for details on how to take action and to hear Bonita on yesterday's "Your Rights At Work on WPFW 89.3FM

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