Capital Properties, a billion-dollar high-end real estate company, has decided to fire all 20 janitorial workers at their 31 St. James Ave. location in Boston’s Back Bay. They will be replaced by an irresponsible subcontractor that pays lower wages, provides fewer benefits, and offers little job security to its non-unionized employees.

Rosa, a janitor at 31 St. James Ave. for over 10 years, told the General Assembly of Occupy Boston on Saturday that she doesn’t know how she will support her family of six once she loses her job. Another worker, Claudia said, “I have to provide for my family. My children need food, clothes, and money for school expenses.”

What does it mean to wonder how you and your family are going to eat next week? The people who are making the decision to fire these workers have not had to answer this question for themselves in a long time, if ever. Instead, they are motivated by greed. Richard Cohen, the CEO of Capital Properties, is the kind of man who has recklessly squandered millions on speculative investments, yet when it comes to the livelihoods of the hard-working janitors who keep his properties clean, he is as coldly calculating as any 1% executive or real estate mogul. This decision shows that Cohen is comfortable with the kind of “success” that comes from exploiting workers and their families.

If this flagrant act of class warfare goes unanswered, the livelihoods of janitors and workers across the city will be put in jeopardy. Capital Properties is at the forefront of the race to the bottom that seeks to use the down economy as an excuse to strip workers of their hard-earned rights and maximize the profits of those who already own far too much of our country’s wealth.

We must act now to stop this from happening. Worker rights are under attack. Stand up! Fight back!

Meet at St. James Ave. and Arlington St. in the Back Bay at 4 pm on Wednesday, May 9 for a raucous picket and rally in support of these workers’ struggle.

Let Capital Properties know that they cannot get away with this!

For more information and to spread the word, visit the event page here.

It’s time for another Community Gathering!

Meet us at 6pm at St. Paul’s Church, 138 Tremont Street (Park St. T station) for:

6 -7 pm Climate Action, Sustainability, and Economic Justice (CASEJ) Working Group hosts a teach-in on carbon fee and dividend by Gary Rucinski of the Citizen’s Climate Lobby. Join Free School University and CASEJ to learn about this important environmental issue. Visit CASEJ’s wikipage or learn more here. CASEJ will also facilitate a discussion on Occupy, community, and the environment.

7-8:30pm Debrief on Camp Charlie and May 1 actions. Whether you came for an hour or organized an event, come debrief with the rest of the Occupy Boston community! This is a time to reflect on what we did well, what we can do better, and to learn about upcoming actions.