Eulogia Figueroa

For more than two years, Eulogia has worked as a Brilliant General Maintenance janitor at Apple in Cupertino, earning $11 an hour. Often, Eulogia has to find additional short-term work just to cover basic necessities like the electric and gas bill.  "Both my husband and I work very hard, but it barely covers the bills. If one of my children gets sick, I don't know what we would do; it would be a disaster.

Eulogia takes care of her two teenage children Ivan, 18, and Selena, 16. They have not visited the doctor or dentist in over two years because she cannot afford it. Janitors in the Bay area are not eligible to purchase a family health insurance plan until they have worked for two and a half years, leaving many families with no means of getting regular check-ups or preventative care.

Her children's safety is Eulogia's biggest concern.  They used to live in a dangerous neighborhood where she would have to dodge drug dealers and "hit the deck" to avoid drive-by shootings. Now, her family lives in a 2-bedroom duplex, but the $1200 per month rent is far too expensive for her $11-an-hour wage. "The 10 cent raise the company is offering us won't cover our increasing household costs. My husband and I will have to take second or even third jobs so we don't have to move back to the projects. I just can't put my kids in harms way."

Eulogia decided to join with her fellow janitors in the Bay area to improve their jobs. "I united with my coworkers, because I knew that we could achieve a lot by speaking with one voice." Though their supervisors said that nothing could be done about heavy workloads, Eulogia and her coworkers sent a delegation to meet with the building owners who listened and responded to their request. Since then, Eulogia has seen other improvements too, "Now our supervisors treat us with respect."

Eulogia is standing up with janitors who clean the hi-tech buildings all across the Silicon Valley to build a better future for her family. "We are the ones who can make a difference. We are ready for anything."