My name is Ricardo Monroy. I came to the U.S. in 2000, and it was really hard at first. In 2001 I started working as a janitor, first at the Hynes Convention Center from 2001 to 2003. Then I moved to the airport, where I’m still working for Hurley of America. Two years ago I started working with UNICCO in the John Hancock building from 6 to 11 at night.
Life here in the United States is pretty complicated. We have to work two jobs, because the cost of living is so high. When I left my country, I imagined that I could get ahead economically and give my family a better life. But, sadly, I haven’t been able to achieve my goals despite working two jobs, because life costs so much: rent, bills, car insurance. Everything has been so complicated, but I’m still here, working hard, and I have faith that during this year’s negotiations, we can win the wage improvements we deserve, that will let us get ahead and improve our lives.
I dream of giving my children the opportunity I never had. I want them to study. I have two kids. The younger one is named Nestor, and he always says he wants to learn architecture. But if the economic situation doesn’t improve, it will be tough to achieve that. It’s a hard dream to realize. I trust in God that our fight will bring good results, so we can improve our lives and win the dreams we’ve always had.
I work 37.5 hours at the airport and 25 hours at John Hancock. It’s a lot of time. It’s a problem because I can’t spend the time with my family that they need. My kids are left alone; we have to pay someone to watch them because my wife also works. This has caused problems now that they are at an age where they want to play. They want someone to take them to the park, but unfortunately we don’t have the time to give them what they wanted. Our day off, we have to catch up on things at home, do the laundry, pay the bills and everything. That’s what we do on our day off.
I have only a few hours to spend time with my kids, to take them out, and I ask them to understand. It’s really tough because when they are young, they don’t see me as a worker. They want to see their dad, who can take them out. They don’t want a worker who cleans buildings, earning our daily bread. Sadly, one salary isn’t enough to cover our needs. This is why we need to fight hard. I believe that someday we will see good changes, if through this fight, we can win enough for all the workers.
This really affects the entire immigrant community. My case is not the exception. All the immigrants and all the janitors face the same situation. We all end up leaving our kids home alone, or paying someone to watch them while we’re at work. And the worst result is that when the kids become teens, they may be steered wrong, since there are all kinds of dangers in our neighborhood: drugs, alcohol, gangs. We run the risk in many places of losing our children. So this is not just my issue. All the janitors, all those who come to this country, run the same risk.
I want to call on the companies, those representing the companies at the bargaining table, to examine their conscience, and realize that what we ask for is fair, and we ask because we need to improve our communities’ economic situation. We work hard; we understand that they make good money off their contracts. So I think it’s only fair that they share those profits with their employees.
Life here in the United States is pretty complicated. We have to work two jobs, because the cost of living is so high. When I left my country, I imagined that I could get ahead economically and give my family a better life. But, sadly, I haven’t been able to achieve my goals despite working two jobs, because life costs so much: rent, bills, car insurance. Everything has been so complicated, but I’m still here, working hard, and I have faith that during this year’s negotiations, we can win the wage improvements we deserve, that will let us get ahead and improve our lives.
I dream of giving my children the opportunity I never had. I want them to study. I have two kids. The younger one is named Nestor, and he always says he wants to learn architecture. But if the economic situation doesn’t improve, it will be tough to achieve that. It’s a hard dream to realize. I trust in God that our fight will bring good results, so we can improve our lives and win the dreams we’ve always had.
I work 37.5 hours at the airport and 25 hours at John Hancock. It’s a lot of time. It’s a problem because I can’t spend the time with my family that they need. My kids are left alone; we have to pay someone to watch them because my wife also works. This has caused problems now that they are at an age where they want to play. They want someone to take them to the park, but unfortunately we don’t have the time to give them what they wanted. Our day off, we have to catch up on things at home, do the laundry, pay the bills and everything. That’s what we do on our day off.
I have only a few hours to spend time with my kids, to take them out, and I ask them to understand. It’s really tough because when they are young, they don’t see me as a worker. They want to see their dad, who can take them out. They don’t want a worker who cleans buildings, earning our daily bread. Sadly, one salary isn’t enough to cover our needs. This is why we need to fight hard. I believe that someday we will see good changes, if through this fight, we can win enough for all the workers.
This really affects the entire immigrant community. My case is not the exception. All the immigrants and all the janitors face the same situation. We all end up leaving our kids home alone, or paying someone to watch them while we’re at work. And the worst result is that when the kids become teens, they may be steered wrong, since there are all kinds of dangers in our neighborhood: drugs, alcohol, gangs. We run the risk in many places of losing our children. So this is not just my issue. All the janitors, all those who come to this country, run the same risk.
I want to call on the companies, those representing the companies at the bargaining table, to examine their conscience, and realize that what we ask for is fair, and we ask because we need to improve our communities’ economic situation. We work hard; we understand that they make good money off their contracts. So I think it’s only fair that they share those profits with their employees.
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