--- title: "Twitter HQ May Sink Into Literal Filth as Its Janitors Go on Strike" description: "Dirty Bird Between the chaotic (and still ongoing) Saga of the Blue Checks, unpaid bills, and mass firings followed by hurried re-hirings, you'd be forgiven for thinking that newly-annointed Twitter CEO Elon Musk's acquisition of the social media platform is, in short, a mess. That in mind, it might only be right that the state […]" date: "2022-12-07" modified: "2022-12-07" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/twitter-hq-janitors-strike" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "elon musk" - "the digest" - "twitter" --- # Twitter HQ May Sink Into Literal Filth as Its Janitors Go on Strike ![Bloomberg reports that Twitter's janitorial staff is officially on strike. The acquisition has been a total mess — now, the building will match.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Dirty Bird Between the chaotic [Saga of the Blue Checks](), [unpaid bills](), and [mass firings]() followed by [hasty re-hirings](), you'd be forgiven for thinking that newly-anointed Twitter CEO Elon Musk's acquisition of the social media platform is, in short, a giant mess. That in mind, it might only be right that the state of the literal building matches the acquisition's overall vibe. Case in point, *Bloomberg* [reports that]() as of this morning, Twitter's janitorial staff is officially on strike. Their union contract is up on Dec 9, and Musk, in apparent direct violation of [San Francisco law](), is reportedly refusing to renew the agreement, thus refusing rehire the workers. "Twitter doesn't seem to understand how important it is to keep a clean house," Elizabeth Strater, the communications director for the California Labor Federation, told *Bloomberg*, "and respect the people who take out the trash." https://twitter.com/svqjournalist/status/1599864710333009921?ref\_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1599864710333009921%7Ctwgr%5Ea1b5d54d6ab589b0422f313c460268165c000716%7Ctwcon%5Es1\_&ref\_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bloomberg.com%2Fnews%2Farticles%2F2022-12-05%2Ftwitter-janitors-face-layoffs-at-headquarters-protest-labor-violation ## Mr. Grinch McScrooge The impacted janitors, who took to picketing the building at 6am this morning, have noted the particularly cruel timing of the layoffs. "Our janitors were given the bad news that less than three weeks before Christmas, we're gonna be out of jobs," said Olga Miranda, the president of the janitors' union, [as heard in a video]() of this morning's protest, "with nowhere \[to go\] as a backup plan, because all of this was unexpected." Given his history as a vocal union opponent, Musk's alleged unwillingness to negotiate here isn't terribly surprising. His anti-union conduct is perhaps [most visible]() at Tesla, where employees have [won multiple lawsuits]() involving the Tesla CEO's [anti-organizing rhetoric and behavior](). Musk has also been generally unceremonious towards Twitter employees throughout his platform takeover, firing workers — without any real warning — in the [middle of the night](); [going back]() on his promises to fire certain numbers of employees, only to turn around *again* and do it anyway; and even [grossly harassing fired employees]() on the internet. You know, like a grown up. Now, it looks like Twitter's janitors — who, it's worth noting, likely have far less to fall back on than Twitter's exited engineers — are caught in Musk's chaotic crossfire, too. The CEO, meanwhile, is reportedly putting his time and energy towards building [naptime rooms]() for the "[hardcore]()" workers who stuck around, because that's definitely what the [now-very-glitchy]() app needs most right now. The Musk of it all aside, our thoughts are with the janitors during this holiday season. **READ MORE:** *[Twitter's Janitors Are on Strike at Its San Francisco Headquarters]()* \[*Bloomberg*\] **More on Twitter's workforce:** *[Elon Musk Reportedly Building "Sad Hotel Rooms" at Twitter HQ for Exhausted Employees]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()