My name is Juan Valencia. I am from Colombia but I call Houston my home. I am a janitor at the City courthouse.
While employed by JBM, a subcontractor under McLemore Building Maintenance, I worked overtime for about six months without seeing this time reflected in my paycheck.
In April, several janitors, including myself, filed wage theft complaints with the City of Houston against our employers.
Now that I have begun to tell my story, I hope that other co-workers will no longer be afraid to stand up for their rights.
It is our right to have a fair salary, benefits and a union that gives us the ability to resolve these types of problems. If I had a union, I don’t think I would have experienced wage theft.
Recently, a new subcontractor called Cervantes Janitorial has taken over the court account. I’ll keep telling my story because I know every worker has the right to be paid for what he or she deserves and to be treated with respect.
