Outside the Shops at Sunset Place, roughly 20 people gathered Monday night. They held candles – real and battery-powered – and quietly sang.
The song was not in the spirit of holiday celebration, but of labor struggle: “We Shall Overcome.”
In October, new owners acquired Sunset Place and changed the company hired for cleaning services. The new company chose not to hire the existing workers at the outdoor mall, effectively terminating them.
These nine workers had been organized through the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 32BJ. They earned between $11 to $13 an hour -- higher than many other janitorial positions -- and say they have not been offered acceptable jobs at Sunset Place.
Ana Tinsly with 32BJ described the move as union busting.
“The workers need to have their jobs, they need to have their union jobs and they need to have their union jobs back here at Sunset Place,” said Tinsly.
She points to higher wages and comprehensive health benefits as some of the victories former workers in the union won for themselves before their termination.
Olga Zelaya worked at Sunset Place for 16 years and has thyroid cancer. Through an interpreter she said she wants her job back.
“This is the job that I’ve been able to raise my family, that I’ve been able to pay my bills [with],” said Zelaya. “We also want the union here so that they respect our rights.”
Since her termination, she has had difficulty managing her health condition without the health insurance she used to have.
One of the owners of Sunset Place, Grass River Property, has met with the union, SEIU Local 32BJ and both say the conversation about how to handle these workers is ongoing.
