Janitors, Community Supporters to Launch 7-Day Hunger Fast Protesting Cisco Systems
Santa Clara and San Jose, CA – On Wednesday, June 3, janitors, supporters, and religious leaders from the San Jose Interfaith Council on Race, Religion, Economic & Social Justice will gather at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church for a consecration ceremony to launch a week-long hunger fast protesting high-tech company Cisco Systems. In spite of company’s profitability, including more than $34 billion in cash assets and an $11 million CEO pay-package, Cisco’s contractor ABM recently laid off more than 40% of the total janitorial workforce at its headquarters in San Jose.
“The San Jose faith community is participating in this hunger fast to protest the injustice of Cisco Systems laying off so many vulnerable, low-income service workers,” said Reverend Rebecca Kuiken, Director of the Interfaith Council on Race, Religion, Economic & Social Justice. “We have a moral responsibility to support these workers, and to change the hearts and minds of Cisco management.”
Every day during the week of June 3 and June 9, dozens of janitors and community supporters including San Jose faith leaders will fast, drinking only water, outside of Cisco’s corporate headquarters in San Jose. New participants will join the fast each day at 1pm, when a religious leader from the Interfaith Council will conduct a ceremony blessing them.
The fast comes after a series of mobilizations the janitors have held over the last several months calling on Cisco to live up to its claims of “corporate social responsibility” by reinstating the laid-off janitors and committing to providing decent pay, affordable health care, and family-supporting jobs to all of its contracted service workers. These protests have included several mobilizations at Cisco headquarters, an ongoing 24-hour protest camp outside of the headquarters since May 1, a protest at Stanford University, and appeals to Cisco decision-makers, San Jose City Council members, and other elected officials.
“Cisco is a rich company, and they laid us off for no reason,” said Guadalupe Antolin, one of the more than 75 janitors who were laid off. “That is why I’m fasting.”
DETAILS:
• Wednesday, June 3, 12:00pm:
Consecration opening the hunger fast at Our Lady of Peace, 2800 Mission College Boulevard, Santa Clara, Ca. Following the ceremony, fast participants will proceed to Cisco Systems headquarters, 300 E. Tasman Drive, San Jose, Ca.
• Wednesday, June 3 – Tuesday, June 9:
Daily fast and 24-hour protest camp outside of Cisco Systems headquarters, 300 E. Tasman Drive, San Jose, Ca.
• Thursday, June 4 – Tuesday, June 9, 1:00pm:
Daily blessing from religious leader at protest camp, 300 E. Tasman Drive, San Jose, Ca.
• Tuesday, June 9:
Large, major protest in downtown San Jose. Details TBA.