Help Maria and her Grandchildren
Donation protected
On August 8, 2018, María Sarabia was discharged from her position at Service Management Group (SMG) cleaning Freeman Athletic Center at Wesleyan University. Before she was abruptly and unjustly discharged, María had been working at Wesleyan for nine years as a custodial worker with SMG for sixteen years. María is a fifty-five year old woman with documented high blood pressure issues and diabetes. She is the primary guardian, caretaker, and source of income for her four grandchildren.
At the time of her dismissal, SMG alleged that María was sleeping on the job. When she was confronted around 6:45 AM, María had been sitting and drinking coffee in order to get her blood sugar up. María was instantly terminated without severance. Normally, a worker in this situation is given a warning and suspended for three days, but María was not suspended, and never had been in the past. Upon being fired, María immediately went to her union, SEIU Local 32BJ, for support. María has filed a grievance through the union but it is currently in the process of arbitration, which can take years. At this time, María has been out of work for two months.
As a result of her dismissal, María was unable to make rent for the month of October and was served an eviction notice on October 12th. The notice gives Maria, her husband (Marcial Ramirez), her daughter, and her four grandchildren until the 19th of October to vacate the premises. At the current moment, we are unsure if the eviction would be cancelled if she was able to pay rent or if she has no option but to find another home. If Maria was evicted, she could potentially lose custody of her grandchildren. As of right now, we are working on getting her accommodations through the ADA to extend her eviction date because Maria and several of her grandchildren have disabilities. The purpose of this fundraiser is to either get her enough money to pay this month's rent and stop her eviction or to get her family enough money for a security deposit and the first month's rent on a new apartment.
At the time of her dismissal, SMG alleged that María was sleeping on the job. When she was confronted around 6:45 AM, María had been sitting and drinking coffee in order to get her blood sugar up. María was instantly terminated without severance. Normally, a worker in this situation is given a warning and suspended for three days, but María was not suspended, and never had been in the past. Upon being fired, María immediately went to her union, SEIU Local 32BJ, for support. María has filed a grievance through the union but it is currently in the process of arbitration, which can take years. At this time, María has been out of work for two months.
As a result of her dismissal, María was unable to make rent for the month of October and was served an eviction notice on October 12th. The notice gives Maria, her husband (Marcial Ramirez), her daughter, and her four grandchildren until the 19th of October to vacate the premises. At the current moment, we are unsure if the eviction would be cancelled if she was able to pay rent or if she has no option but to find another home. If Maria was evicted, she could potentially lose custody of her grandchildren. As of right now, we are working on getting her accommodations through the ADA to extend her eviction date because Maria and several of her grandchildren have disabilities. The purpose of this fundraiser is to either get her enough money to pay this month's rent and stop her eviction or to get her family enough money for a security deposit and the first month's rent on a new apartment.
Organizer and beneficiary
Emma Llano
Organizer
Middletown, CT
Marcial Ramirez
Beneficiary