Recession hits immigrant janitorial forces hard

LOS ANGELES — Immigrants, including those working in janitorial services, have been hit harder than native-born Americans by the recession, with larger increases in joblessness among both educated and uneducated workers, according to an article in the LA Times.


The heavily immigrant sector of janitorial services is reeling from widespread job losses, according to a California study, the article said.


Downturns in the home financing industry in Orange County and among high-tech firms in Silicon Valley have particularly hurt, said Mike Garcia, president of the Service Employees International Union Local 1877, which represents about 25,000 janitors statewide, according to the article.

San Jose-based Cisco Systems Inc. recently cut its janitorial staff to 108 from 210 — a move the union is protesting, the article noted.

"We've never experienced this kind of pressure on janitors before," Garcia said in the article.