I took a long weekend holiday this last week by taking Friday off after the Veterans Day holiday. So today was my first day back at work in a while.
We have this lovely gal from El Salvador who cleans the restrooms and all the offices on our floor. We got to be good friends as I help her with learning English (and she tried to help me with my Spanish) during the times she comes by my cubicle. She also became friends with many of the other people on the floor. After a few months she asked if I knew anyone who needed their house cleaned. I do! Since I have moved into this rental unit I am not nearly so motivated to keep it clean and my 25 year old son moving in pretty much put out any residue of anal retentive cleaning I had left. (I have yet to see the carpet in his room.) So, she has been cleaning my house on a regular basis for a number of months.
It is great for me and I think good for her.
Well, today, when she didn't come by, I asked our Secretary what was up with L. The Secretary then told me that she had been fired on Wednesday last! L. has had a lot of problems with the management of this cleaning firm over the months. The manager has been sexually insulting to her, they use her as a slave on holidays to clean the company owners huge house with no extra pay, etc. Our staff have gone to bat for her, making it clear that we felt she was excellent in her work. But now that my boss is out with surgery, they have gone in for the kill behind our back. I am just very, very sick about this. Her husband works construction as a temp and has no health insurance. Her 5-year-old son is hearing impaired and needs good health care and good educational support. She has a 16 year old daughter and mother back in El Salvador that she sends money to....This is just a nightmare.
I have to find her phone number (somewhere in my files) and call her. There must be something I can do to help....ugh.
I hate it when someone who is hard working, honest, and reliable as she is, gets this treatment. There are so many assholes out there who get away by doing no work. The secretary thinks they have probably replaced her with a relative that needed a job. I am sick, sick, sick about this.
Tabor - I am with you on the unfair treatment of this fine worker. It makes me sick that she has to endure the crap as she is just trying to make a living. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteOn another note - how was dinner or breakfast with your friend? I am meeting one on Wednesday evening, I haven't seen her in over 20 years.
The breakfast went very well. We had about 20 minutes to wait for a table on a Sunday morning, so had lots of time to visit. They both are happy and in good health. She is retired but volunteering for a Counsel woman, working on a town concert board, helping the school with some civics project. Since she once was selected as History teacher of the year, I am not surprised that she never slowed down. Makes me a little guilty in that I do not have such grandiose plans when I retire. I was thinking of sitting by the stove, drinking tea and writing poety for a while!
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