Twitter HQ Custodians Abruptly Locked out of Facility After Failed Contract Negotiations

Twitter has been no stranger to interesting headlines ever since Elon Musk officially took over the company, and now custodians who had been cleaning its offices are the latest employees to shared their grievances. As reported by Business Insider, janitors who had been contracted to clean the company’s headquarters initiated a strike this past Monday, Dec. 5 after a failed negotiation between Twitter and Flagship — the company still technically under contract to facility cleaning services. 

The crowds gathered for the strike promptly at 6 in the morning to kick off the workweek, a group representing Service Employee International Union (SEIU) Local 87. The union, which represents around 5,000 janitors in the San Francisco Area, held up picket signs indicating injustices over labor practices. According to Business Insider, messages on the signs included “respect workers’ seniority” and “justice for janitors.” While Twitter has decided to discontinue the contract with Flagship on their end with no intention of rehiring the previous janitors, the terms of the agreement technically have the contract ending on Dec. 9, according to the California Labor Federation (CLF). The Twitter headquarters, however, have locked out the Flagship custodians from the building since last Friday, Dec. 2, giving no prior warning to the employees. 

While Twitter is entitled to switch contractors at the end of an official agreement, San Francisco labor laws state that a 90-day grace period goes into effect which the company has to hire terminated workers from the previous contract while a full transition is completed. If the company elects no to do so, then those previous employees are eligible for benefits and compensation for the layoff. There is no confirmation on what the new cleaning contractor may be for Twitter headquarters. 

With the official contract ending today, it’s highly likely this story will have its fair share of updates on the fate of these janitors. To echo the cause of the Flagship custodians, the CLF has started a hashtag of #TakeOnTheTwit on Twitter in defense of the employees who at the moment appear out of work abruptly just two weeks before Christmas. 

CleanLink will be sure to provide any necessary updates on the situation as more information is gathered.