Friday, March 09, 2007

CINCY Janitor DD Tilman on the Rally Yesterday

Posted by The Dean of Cincinnati

Syndicated via Dispatch from the Front.

Hundreds, including UFCW, UNITE HERE, the AMOS Project, Interfaith Worker Justice Committee, and the Faith Community Alliance marched on Procter & Gamble HQ in Cincy yesterday, to deliver a past-due notice, and call on P&G and the other global giants to use their clout to create a new economic standard that values hard work, community and opportunity. DD Tilman, a janitor who has to try and make ends meet on $27 a day was one of the hundreds of people there. This is what she had to say...

Yesterday I was the first speaker at the kick off rally for our new SEIU Rebuilding the American dream campaign. If I could sum it all up in one word, I would say “proud.” I was so proud to look out and see hundreds of other Cincinnati janitors and other workers in the crowd rallying and taking a step in the right direction. I felt so strong in that moment.

I have to be honest though, I also felt nervous in the beginning. I’ve never spoken in front of a crowd that big before. But after I got on stage, I got my voice and I could see that I was reaching the people. I wanted everyone to hear my struggle, because I know there are a lot of other workers going through the same thing. For me, this campaign is about my son. He has severe diabetes and he was recently denied health coverage for pain medicine. I see him every day in pain and I feel like there’s nothing I can do. That breaks my heart. I’m a part of all this for him. But even if I could solve my healthcare problems, I would still be here because I have coworkers who can barely get by. Who are hungry. Do you know janitors like me only make $27 a day? And take off three dollars a day for bus fare to work and back.

I learned at the rally the Fortune 500 companies in Cincinnati, Indianapolis, and Columbus bring in $1 billion a day. These are the companies that own most of the buildings we work in. How can we make only $27 a day with no healthcare when there’s $1 billion a day out there? I’m going back to work tonight and I’m going to talk with all my coworkers. A lot of them came to the rally, but some didn’t too. We all need to be together and be dedicated if we are going to make a change. I think we can do it

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Power 2 the People! says:
09 Mar 2007  at  12:31 pm | #

Polls show most Americans are for universal health care for every American. Most Americans are for it even if taxes have to be raised. Greedy corporations should pay their taxes and living wages.

Cincinnati Change Commander says:
09 Mar 2007  at  01:59 pm | #

What are you talking about? Min. wage is what?  The cities contractual is 10.20 an hour.

Are these employees of these companies just earning $27 a day - is that gross or net.

If you want Universal Health Care lets then make the 850,000 people of Hamilton an experiment at Davis Bacon adjusted wage scales.

funnelcake says:
09 Mar 2007  at  09:57 pm | #

$27/day?

Ohio’s minimum wage is $6.85/hour.
A worker earning that working 40/hrs/week gets $14,248 gross/year.

Federal, Ohio, Cincinnati, FICA & Medicare would take out $1,714.18.

That would leave $12,533.82 for the year… or $48.21/day.

To hit around $27/day take home pay, he would have to be working a 22 hour work week (guesstimate) since Federal & Ohio taxes would no longer be applicable at that point.

Or he would have to be illegally paid under the table.

So, what is up with his $27/day take home pay?

funnelcake says:
09 Mar 2007  at  10:17 pm | #

That being said, you don’t want to hire severely underpaid janitors or cleaning crews.  People who are severely underpaid tend to be desperate.  Desperate people do desperate things...like stealing your office equipment.

It’s the whole moral dilemma of a starving man stealing a loaf of bread.

For offices it’s a pain-in-the-@ss for things & equipment to constantly get stolen.  It’s just not worth it to keep unsupervised employees on wages that make it difficult to pay the rent, utilities, clothing, medical care & food.

Anonymous says:
12 Mar 2007  at  07:40 am | #

Many of these sorts of jobs are part time.  In the janitorial industry, four or eight hour shifts are the most many people can get.

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