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Elena

Elena is a nurse working at two hospitals in Santa Clara County. She shares her experience working as a healthcare worker early on in the pandemic: “When the pandemic hit, I think the hospitals were not ready for a pandemic, for any epidemic … They are not issuing N95s to all the nurses that areContinue reading “Elena”

Irene

Irene immigrated to San Jose in the 1980’s. She used to work in the Philippines as a teacher, and moved to the United States with her one and a half year old daughter. She worked at first in the electronics industry as an assembly worker in Cupertino, and then began working in nursing homes asContinue reading “Irene”

Ramona

Ramona is a McDonald’s worker in San Jose. She escaped a violent home life in Mexico to raise her children with more safety and opportunity here in the states. Fortunately, although Ramona has faced obstacles, she has begun to see how using her voice for change matters. Ramona advocates for workers to lift up andContinue reading “Ramona”

Ignacio

Ignacio Valencia is a Fight for $15 leader that works for a McDonald’s in San Jose. He has worked in fast food for the past 15 years. During the pandemic Ignacio faced job loss as well as hours lost. Luckily for him, the manager for the McDonald’s he works at has been responsive to complaints,Continue reading “Ignacio”

Alphonso

Alphonso Gutierres-Ruiz has worked for McDonald for over 20 years since immigrating to the US. During his time working he has faced issues with wage theft, even during the pandemic. Alphonso recalls that in the past he has raised his voice when things needed to change, and due to this has been retaliated against byContinue reading “Alphonso”

Maria Elena

Maria Elena is a Fight for $15 leader in San Jose who has worked at McDonald for 24 years. Maria has faced wage theft from management and unfair working conditions for many years. At the onslaught of the pandemic she began to fear for family members with preexisting conditions. She feels that although there haveContinue reading “Maria Elena”

Maria Ruiz

Maria Ruiz, a Fight for $15 leader, has worked at McDonald for 16 years. During the start of the pandemic, Maria worked without protective equipment nor safety practices to protect her and other workers. Maria shares that her employer and health agencies didn’t care that she and other workers were not being protected, because despiteContinue reading “Maria Ruiz”

Fernando

Fernando has worked in his current care home since 2017. Before coming to San Jose, he had a small business selling ice in the Philippines. He decided to migrate to the United States through a 10 year visa entry, and become a caregiver. In the Philippines, he studied care giving while also doing reflexology work.Continue reading “Fernando”

Lala

Lala is a 48 year old Filipina residing in San Jose. She was a teacher in the Philippines before she was labor trafficked by an agency that promised her a teaching job in the US. When she arrived to the United States, she was forced to work in a low-wage daycare job in Washington DC.Continue reading “Lala”

Dana

Dana is a 45 year old Filipina immigrant and is currently living in San Jose working as an on-demand caregiver with an agency. She came to the US on vacation with a work visa in 2017 and stayed because she fell in love, got married, but was abandoned by her now ex husband. “Even thoughContinue reading “Dana”