A Day without Housekeeping

Yesterday afternoon my Head Housekeeper came to my office to check in on several issues. At the end of the conversation she asked how many rooms needed to be turned over today. One. What's up? She told me that she and the other housekeepers were planning to take the day off to participate in A Day without Immigrants. They all had paid time off that they could use, and I can clean a guest room, if necessary. I did make a quick call to HR to alert them. I support their decision to participate. The Seminary supports their decision to participate.

After I finished my work yesterday I came home and did some reading about A Day without Immigrants. I found a lot about restaurants in the DC metro area and about a handful of small businesses. This evening's news is full of stories primarily about restaurants and schools along with some constructions sites. What about the hotels? The grocery stores?

But what really struck me about what I read was that the majority of the participating workers covered in those stories had paid time off and/or had supportive supervisors or bosses or owners. My housekeepers are employed full time and have salaries and benefits. How many immigrants do not? How many did not participate in today's action because they needed to work in order to support their families? How many showed up for work because if they didn't, they would lose their job?

A Day without Immigrants was a day of multiple hard truths.