Janitor Dies of Cardiac Arrest at Work

The death of a longtime janitorial worker at the Simon Fraser University (SFU) campus in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, has renewed calls for improved working conditions and an end to the contracting out of cleaning services on campus, according to a recent CBC report.

Kulbir Kaila, a 61-year-old janitor with underlying health conditions, died on a shift on July 28. Her family said the workload was immense, and Kaila transitioned from building to building across campus during the same shift. Kaila had worked at SFU for nearly 20 years.

Meanwhile, local unions affiliated with the school have called for the end to contracting out cleaning and food services at SFU. Concerns about working conditions for contracted employees on campus were the focus of a 2022 report by Contract Worker Justice @SFU. It claimed that contracted cleaning and food-service workers at the university were being subjected to “unfair pay, unsafe practices, and undignified treatment.” A union official said many of the contract workers are immigrant women and people of color over the age of 50 working physically demanding jobs.

Additionally, last May SFU eliminated more than 80 positions across its campuses, citing budgetary challenges. The cuts included janitorial workers.