More than 220,000 janitors and 148,000 security officers in California work in an industry that routinely awards contracts to the lowest bidder, a practice that drives down profit margins, which in turns drives down labor standards. These contractors face low barriers to entry and low startup costs, opening the door to fly-bynight contractors that skimp on human resources support and legal compliance. This leaves many workers with little or no protection against wage theft, excessive workloads, health and safety hazards, and sexual harassment.
This report focuses on the largely invisible problem of sexual harassment and sexual assault of janitors and security officers, known as property service workers. The report identifies the major risk factors that contribute to the high rate of harassment and also proposes a starting point for intervention.
A portion of this report appeared in the UC Berkeley Labor Center’s publication, Race to the Bottom: How Low-Road Subcontracting Affects Working Conditions in California’s Property Services Industry (March 8, 2016)
English PDF: https://lohp.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/The-Perfect-Storm.pdf
