The drums were ready. So were the signs, the bullhorns, the purple T-shirts, and the protesters. Enough to fill three school buses, which before the noon protest unloaded the protesters, who joined many others who arrived alone.
But on Thursday, NBCUniversal and its subcontractor ABM Industries averted a major protest from janitors by rehiring more than 100 people whose union claimed were unfairly laid off at the beginning of the week. And so a demonstration organized by the Service Employees International Union-Union of Western Service Workers (SEIU-USWW) at South Weddington Park in Studio City, originally intended to embarrass the major entertainment company, became a celebration of the deal.
Negotiations between NBCU, ABM, and the union continued almost until the protest began at noon. After crowds gathered at the park, with 10 Universal City Plaza visible in the background, union president David Huerta broke the news to his members in Spanish that the parties had agreed the sanitation workers could be rehired and would receive back wages.
“They knew the workers were coming,” Huerta said in an interview. “They knew the union was organizing for this and they knew the union would continue to organize until such time as we got the justice we deserved.” “This ensures everyone gets their jobs back [that] “It was unjustly cancelled.”
Hollywood Reporter We have reached out to NBCUniversal and ABM Industries for comment.
More than 100 janitors lost their jobs Monday after NBCUniversal canceled its contract with facility services company ABM Industries at three locations: 10 Universal City Plaza, the DreamWorks Campus and the Universal Studios Lot, the union said. The workers were largely overnight janitors and “Latino migrant workers,” according to Huerta, some of whom had worked at NBCUniversal for years.
Huerta said workers received no justification for the cuts. “They said they would move things to the day shift, but they never gave the workers the opportunity to move,” Huerta said.
He added that the union was working to resolve contractual issues, some of which were related to seniority, with the employer before the cuts. “We were resolving these issues, but it was a knee-jerk reaction from NBCUniversal. Fortunately, they came to their senses and realized it was better to resolve this issue.” [by] He added: “Bringing workers back to work.”
After Huerta announced the deal, several speakers were previously scheduled — Including Los Angeles County Democratic Party Chairman and UFCW Local 1428 Chairman Mark Ramos and California IATSE Board President Tom Davis — He delivered celebratory speeches, albeit from the bed of a truck bearing a sign reading “Shame on you NBCU!” In bold.
Ramon Segoviano, a store agent at Universal Studios Lot, told his story of being laid off from his job. “Shame on you, ABM and NBCUniversal. The studios are a small town and we keep running them,” he said. “We deserve to be treated with respect. Without us, these companies like ABM and NBCUniversal would not be profitable.”
According to Huerta, while its members were out of work, the union was hearing about complaints within NBCUniversal that professionals’ workspaces were not as clean as usual. This will be resolved soon, in his narration.
“I know a lot of people think that somehow these workers are invisible or some dust comes in and spreads magic all over the place and it gets cleaned,” he said. “But there are people who make sure the bathrooms are clean, the offices are clean, the public spaces are clean.”
