San Francisco

Janitors Locked Out of Twitter Headquarters Without Warning, Join Picket Line

NBC Universal, Inc.

Janitors joined former Twitter employees in a picket line outside San Francisco headquarters Monday.

The demonstration comes on the same day another group of workers announced a new lawsuit against the social site and its new owner Elon Musk.   

Janitors said they've been locked out since Friday and had no warning.

“Our cleaning contractor at Twitter was told by Twitter that they are cutting the contract,” said Olga Miranda, the janitor’s union president. “So we have about 48 families out of work. And it just so happens that it's three weeks before Christmas.”        

They said they'd like to talk to Twitter's new owner about all this but haven't heard any kind of response.

The very vocal picket outside of headquarters isn't the only action that former employees are taking.

In Los Angeles, attorney Lisa Bloom announced she is taking legal action on behalf of three former Twitter employees who describe anxiety and chaos once Elon Musk took over. 

“At a certain point I was told as a manager, I might get fired if I gathered my team just to hear their questions or concerns,” said former employee Amir Shavat. 

“I watched as my laptop shut down at 9 p.m. and all of my access get revoked,” said Helen-Sage Lee, former employee. 

Bloom also said Twitter promised severance packages to employees ahead of the Musk takeover but haven't delivered on those promises.

The attorney even held up a sink as a prop during Monday’s presser, much like Musk used when he first took over Twitter.

Now she's urging more employees to come forward.

“We are hitting Twitter and Eon with every applicable claim; from promissory estoppel, to breach of contract, to breach of their implied agreement, to violation of the warn act, to civil rights violations, everything but the kitchen sink,” said Bloom. 

At Twitter headquarters, the janitors union said it expects to continue their protest for days, saying Elon has been staying at the offices recently and they want to get his attention.

As for the other people who live nearby, they apologize for the noise.

“We're not asking for a handout, but what we will say to the neighbors in front of Twitter is, put yourself in our shoes too,” said Miranda.

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