‘It’s a nightmare’: Twitter’s New York janitors protest sudden layoffs

Laureta, a single mom and longtime caretaker at Twitter’s New York City offices, wants Elon Musk, one of the richest people in the world and the social media giant’s new owner, to know how he ruined her Christmas.

Like other janitors at Twitter — and many other employees at the struggling company, which has laid off thousands of employees — she said she never received an explanation for her sudden layoff.

“I was so lucky to work for Twitter. I was able to pay my bills, find babysitters for my kids. Now it’s a nightmare for me. I don’t know how to do this or what’s going to happen,” said Laureta, who declined to use her last name for fear of future employment consequences. “There was no explanation. We were working on Monday the 19th and that night we got the news. It was shocking just before Christmas. We didn’t have a good vacation. No Merry Christmas, no Happy New Year, we were thinking about our jobs and whether we’re going back.”

She described trying to explain to her six-year-old son what had happened and trying to calm his concerns about having something to eat now that she was released. She has no income and by the end of this month will lose health insurance for herself and her children, which she has relied on through her employment.

“I want to go back to work and I want to know why Elon Musk is getting rid of us,” she added. “It’s not right that Elon Musk got rid of me and all my colleagues.”

She is one of 12 janitors at the Twitter site at 245-249 West 17th St in New York City protesting the social media company’s sudden decision to fire all janitors who were employed at contractor Flagship Services, the latest layoffs on Twitter since Musk acquired the company on October 27, 2022.

On January 10, the workers, with their union 32BJ SEIU protested outside Twitter’s New York offices to demand an explanation and the return of their jobs.

The workers received a message from Twitter on the evening of December 19 that their contract with their employer and their jobs were terminated with immediate effect. They say that in previous cases where a contractor changed, Twitter had retained the same employees who have worked at Twitter since 2015.

Merita, another caretaker who has worked at Twitter’s New York offices since it opened in 2015, also criticized the layoffs, particularly the impact of losing the health insurance she relies on for stomach meds she needs on a regular basis.

“They told us at work at the last minute. We didn’t know anything. It was a shock for us. We left the building crying because we didn’t know what was going to happen,” Merita said. “It’s pretty hard because we live paycheck to paycheck to pay bills. We are very afraid of losing health insurance. i take medication We need health insurance so we have to fight back for our jobs to have our union, healthcare, everything.”

In early December, Twitter suddenly fired janitors at the company’s San Francisco headquarters. San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu said he’s investigating whether Twitter broke the law with the sudden layoffs because employers are required by law to retain workers for at least 90 days during a transition between contractors.

Twitter has laid off about half of its employees since Musk acquired it, which has led to numerous lawsuits or arbitrations.

The notice of termination sent to the caretakers did not explain the sudden termination of the Flagship Services contract or provide information about how those workers would be replaced.

“Twitter’s decision to terminate the cleaning contract for its New York office has turned the lives of these dedicated cleaners upside down, many of whom have worked at this location since Twitter moved in seven years ago. NYC’s key cleaners have done too much for this city to be treated that way,” said Denis Johnston, executive vice president and director of commercial operations at 32BJ SEIU, in a statement on the job cuts.

“They are risking their lives to keep workers and the public safe during the pandemic and are vital to the city’s economic recovery after the pandemic. These union members and their families are now facing extreme hardship because they are losing their well-paying jobs with quality health insurance.”

Twitter and Flagship Services Inc did not immediately respond to requests for comment.