Front Line Worker - Mario Franco, CT Service Plaza worker 32BJ SEIU

Following are remarks by Mario Franco, worker at Connecticut Service Plaza and member of 32BJ SEIU, at the May Day Rally "International Workers Solidarity: COVID-19 and Beyond hosted by CT People's World on May 3 via zoom. View the entire rally here.

 
My name is Mario Franco. I worked  at the McDonald’s at the Darien Northbound rest stop on I-95 for 26 years.

I am here today to talk about the situation at the rest stops. For one year, I helped my coworkers work with 32BJ to try to get better conditions. I lost my job, and the conditions now are terrible, but I want to continue fighting to make things better.

I had a tragedy at McDonalds. My wife worked together with me for over 20 years. Four years ago, she passed out in the backroom at the McDonalds and hit her head. A few days later, she died in the hospital. McDonald’s paid for nothing, only the stone on her grave.

When I was working, most people only got minimum wage. We did not get holidays.. Most people did not get vacation time. We worked on State property, but we did not get the benefits in the Standard Wage Law. The law says everybody is supposed to have five sick days a year. We had no sick days.

When you have low pay and no sick days, you have to come to work sick. You cannot afford to miss one day of work. Now, many people at McDonald’s are coming to work sick. I do not think they are cleaning and disinfecting properly. It is dangerous for my coworkers and it is dangerous for everyone who comes to the rest stop.

I was laid off with the entire night shift. Most of us on the night shift have many years of experience. The people who continue working do not. I think they laid off the experienced workers because we were protesting.

We are asking Governor Lamont to help us. He can make McDonalds and other fast food companies act better because they are on state property. We are asking for support with a petition. Many of my coworkers are single mothers. They have no income now. I am helping distribute food for them. I am still fighting. I thank you for all your support.

"Money Bags and Body Bags" 100-Car Protest in Fairfield County

On May 21, union workers and community members stopped at the Darien Southbound service plaza at the start of a 100-car caravan tour of wealthy individuals and corporations that are not doing their fair share in combatting the COVID-19 pandemic. The tour continued through Greenwich and Westchester NY to visit the homes of local billionaires who pay a far smaller proportion of taxes than all other residents.

The stop at the service plaza highlighted how McDonald’s and other fast food corporations have failed to devote their profits to support essential workers during the pandemic.
Four workers have contracted COVID-19 while working at the rest stops, yet McDonald’s and other stores have demonstrated little evidence that they have properly disinfected their worksite. Workers attested to how McDonald’s and others have not offered sufficient PPE, hazard pay or paid sick days.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed McDonald’s continual mistreatment of its workers into a health threat to all of us who use the Interstate service plazas in Connecticut,” said Juan Hernandez, Vice President of 32BJ SEIU . “It’s one more example of how the indifference and greed of the super-wealthy needs to be directly addressed now more than ever.”