Laid-Off Cisco Janitors Disrupt Chambers Keynote

A group of about 20 protesters gathered outside the event, which is being held this week at San Francisco's Moscone Center. Inside, a group of about 10 protesters interrupted Chambers with chanting and drum-beating and were eventually peacefully escorted from the building, according to one eyewitness account.

The group was protesting layoffs earlier this year of about 75 janitors who worked in Cisco buildings. The workers were employees of American Building Maintenance, a Cisco contractor, according to earlier reports.

"Inside the Moscone Center at the Chambers keynote, a group of 10 or so protesters had gained access with official credentials. They began chanting and beating a drum," said one witness who described the protest via e-mail and asked for anonymity. "They were definitely noticed, though it was hard to understand the words they spoke. Something about 'The Boss' and 'Unfair.' They were peacefully escorted from the building as they continued to demonstrate. After the keynote speech, I noticed that the entire group had left the Moscone property. I don't know if they were asked to leave or did so on their own."

The demonstration was led by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which has been organizing protests against Cisco for several months in support of the laid-off employees. SEIU Local 1877 in an online petition says the layoffs hit 40 percent of Cisco's janitorial workforce and impacted 75 "vulnerable, low-income families." The union also alleges that the layoffs endanger the health and safety of the janitors who remain at Cisco. The union is calling on Cisco to "ensure that its subcontractors are responsible companies" and to reinstate the workers.

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