On Thursday, April 30, one hundred janitors and supporters marched and set up a permanent encampment on the sidewalk in front of Cisco Systems' corporate headquarters in San Jose, California, to protest the firing of more than 75 low-wage janitors. The janitors, many of who are single mothers, cannot pay their rent for the month of May, and are instead camping in front of Cisco until the company orders its contractor American Building Management (ABM) to reinstate them. Wearing buttons saying “Put Working Mothers Before Cisco Profits,” the janitors marched, chanted, and set up tents and tables for the camp.
“Without my cleaning job at Cisco, my family can’t afford to pay our rent for next month,” said Juanita Gameros, a San Jose resident and mother of three. “My husband doesn’t make enough money to pay our rent and still have any left over to live on.”
In contrast to the massive layoffs of maintenance staff, Cisco CEO John Chambers has publicly boasted about the company's excellent fiscal health and “aggressive” expansion amidst the economic crisis. Cisco currently has $34 billion in cash on hand -- more than any other technology company, according to the New York Times – and has acquired about 35 smaller companies in the past four years. Chambers received more than $11 million in compensation in 2008.
“I don’t understand why we lost our jobs at Cisco even though the company is doing so well,” said Esther Lopez, a young single mother of 2. “I’m very worried about the future because I’ve been looking for a new job at all the other cleaning companies, but there isn’t any work available.”
Supporters from the San Jose community, including Presbyterian Pastor John Sullivan, joined the janitors at the camp on Friday. Volunteers from St. Justin Catholic Church also stopped by the camp to deliver more than 50 bags of groceries for the janitors.
Dozens of janitors who remain on the job at Cisco joined their coworkers at the camp. These janitors expressed concerns about their higher workloads and health and safety in the face of the massive layoffs. “I’ve worked here for eight years, and I’ve never seen them cut staff levels this low,” said Cecilia Fernandez. “My eight hour shift doesn’t give me enough time to safely finish all my work.”
For more information on the janitors’ camp and struggle for justice at Cisco, please visit www.CiscoInhumaNetwork.com.