Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en la Lucha / Center of Workers United in Struggle
100 signatures reached
To: Kohl's Executives
Ask Kohl’s to follow the lead of Twin Cities retailers & implement a Responsible Contractor Policy
I am asking Kohl’s to meet with us, the retail janitors who clean their stores, to begin the conversation about implementing a Responsible Contractor Policy. This will put us on the path to having good paying, stable jobs with benefits like paid sick days just like other retail janitors in the Twin Cities.
Why is this important?
My name is Esteban Miranda and I am a member of Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en Lucha (CTUL). I work for Kimco Services cleaning a Kohl’s store in the Twin Cities. I am fighting for retail janitors to have a fair wage so I can realize my dream of paying off my house. Right now, my wages are so low that I can just barely make my home payments. If I do not make a better wage, I will always live with the stress and fear of missing a day of work because of an illness or emergency. I do not have any paid sick days working for Kimco, so if I get sick I am at risk of missing a home payment and even losing my house.
Retail janitors organizing with CTUL have won responsible contracting practices from most major retailers ensuring fair treatment for janitors. This will provide stability and security for roughly 600 retail janitors throughout the Twin Cities. Kohl’s is one of the last retail stores that is turning a blind eye to their janitorial subcontractors paying poverty wages and providing us with no benefits.
In the Twin Cities, Target, Macy’s, and Best Buy have all decided to contract responsible contractors, but Kohl’s continues to ignore our requests. I am part of a group of workers fighting to raise standards in our industry because my family and I deserve to have safe and stable housing. Myself and other Kimco janitors have announced that we will be taking action during the holiday shopping season, online and in the streets on Cyber Monday and November 29th.
