In the first quantitative study of the impact of COVID-19 on janitors working in California’s underground economy, researchers found widespread safety concerns compounded by the pandemic.
LOS ANGELES — The Maintenance Cooperation Trust Fund, a janitorial watchdog organization, released the first quantitative report examining the impact of COVID-19 on janitors in California, finding that the COVID-19 pandemic worsened already poor working conditions within the janitorial industry.
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Ninety percent of workers surveyed said they did not have access to the PPE that California law requires, about a third said they were not trained how to properly use chemicals required for the job and more than a quarter were denied legally mandated paid sick leave.
The report, “Janitors: The Pandemic’s Unseen Essential Workers,” surveyed 236 non-union janitors working across California in two rounds during the summer of 2020 and April 2021, finding that a majority of janitorial companies did not provide adequate PPE for their employees, including one company that threatened janitors who tested positive for COVID-19 with termination if they did not work while they were sick with the virus.
“The cleaning industry keeps janitors in the shadows, but janitors are essential workers and they deserve to be treated as such,” said Yardenna Aaron, executive director of the MCTF. “Expanding workplace protections and paying janitors so they can afford basic necessities are crucial steps toward addressing the devastating impact of COVID-19 on communities of color and Latino essential workers in California.”
More than half of janitors surveyed lost their jobs or had their hours reduced during the first six months of the pandemic. Sixty-two percent of janitors who lost their jobs and 41% who had their hours reduced reported not being able to afford food or water. The study also found that janitors routinely lacked proper PPE and social distancing practices.
The pandemic compounded existing problems within the janitorial industry such as prohibiting workers from taking legally-required paid sick leave and the misclassification of workers as independent contractors.
“I got COVID, stopped working, and my employer never told me I was supposed to get paid for the sick days,” said Yanira Revolorio, a janitor from Oakland. “I went back to work when I got better, but they gave me less hours. Still, I’m scared every day of bringing the virus back home to my mother.”
Other noteworthy findings of the report include:
-One company failed to provide PPE for their workers even after an employee died from COVID-19.
-Twenty-seven percent of workers surveyed said that they weren’t given paid sick days despite being entitled to them under the 2014 Healthy Workplace Healthy Families Act.
-Over 20% of workers reported not being given any PPE, while over 90% said their workplaces lacked the PPE required by California law.
Recommendations to improve conditions in the janitorial industry include expanding workplace regulations, such as creating janitor specific safety standards, reforming current workplace protections to facilitate enforcement, and sufficient pay and benefits so janitors can afford basic necessities such as food, water and health care.
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The Maintenance Cooperation Trust Fund (MCTF) is a California statewide watchdog organization whose mission is to abolish illegal and unfair business practices in the janitorial industry. The MCTF investigates allegations of employment law violations and partners with local, state, and federal enforcement agencies to hold unscrupulous contractors accountable.