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Nestor Datuin

“I don’t have paid prescription drug or other health benefits for my wife and I. This means that it’s always stressful when either of us gets sick. It’s always a challenge to figure out a way to save for medications and other medical equipment. Janitors are essential workers and keep our communities running. We work day and night to clean the spaces where people work and play, and we take our jobs very seriously. Bee-Clean is one of the largest cleaning contractors in Vancouver, cleaning dozens of large office buildings, where community members go in and out every day. Bee-Clean refuses to provide its hard-working janitors with paid benefits. Cleaning contractors far smaller than Bee-Clean provide all of their employees with paid benefits.”

Jackie Lyn Esmeralda

“Janitors have always worked at the front lines, keeping the spaces clean and sanitized. My job has become even more important given COVID-19. Because we are coming into contact with contaminated surfaces every day, janitors catch illnesses often. But unlike Bee-Clean janitors in other parts of the country, Bee-Clean workers in Vancouver are currently receiving no paid sick days. I feel pressured to come into work when sick so as not to run out of what I need to pay rent and other necessities.”

Analyn Ariza

“One of my daughters has dental issues. I often have to take her more than once a year to the dentist. Every time we go I have to save up because it’s so expensive. Having benefits would mean that money wasn’t so tight and my kids could see the dentist when they need”.