Billboards Target Sexual Harassment Of Third Shift Janitors
FAIRFIELD (CBS SF) – The billboard along Highway 80 in Fairfield is hard to ignore.
The Bay Area janitorial labor union's message is clear – It's time to end sexual harassment of female janitors who worked the overnight shift.
A bill protecting the working conditions and rights of janitors is awaiting Gov. Brown's signature after passing in both the State Assembly and State Senate.
Maria Trujillo has been working as a Bay Area janitor since she arrived in the United States 20 years ago. She told KPIX 5 she has been the victim of harassment twice on her overnight shift.
"When it happened, I just kept thinking over and over if I say something I'm going to lose my job, I'm not going to be able to pay my rent, I'm not going to be able to take care of my family," she said through a translator.
Trujillo eventually got the courage to speak up to management, and it never happened again. But her story is not unique.
That's why her union launched its billboard campaign with the message: "End rape on the night shift."
The new bill would require employer training and prevention plans, establish a hotline for victims, and toughen enforcement for employers.
The digital billboards are placed near the Bay Bridge and off highways in Fairfield.
