“I remember the day I became a father. I was young - 17. I had my first daughter. And all the things that I used to do - I stopped. I just love kids. I have seven kids now. My last daughter, she's 2 years old. That what brings me joy and happiness. My family. I've been working for Metro for over seven years now and we've been on strike for seven weeks now. 3:30 in the morning we get up from our beds and our kids and our wives to help the community get the garbage up. All we're asking for is better living wages - $15/hour. Right now we make $10.25. We asking for correct PPE. We asking for $150 of hazard pay - we not asking too much! That's all we asking for. But we can't get a response from them. We got trucks that leak hydraulic fluid all day. The trucks you be seeing - hydraulic fluid be leaking on us. But we manage to work so we can take care of our bills. It's like they don't even care about us. And we are exposed to the corona. We are frontline. They give us one pair of gloves. You gotta come early just to get a mask! When I go home, I get so much love from my kids that they run to me when they hear the door open. And I gotta say, 'Oh no you can't come on daddy right now because I'm exposed!' They want to give me a hug, but I can't. My kids, they got me on the right path. The love that they give me - I love 'em so much. That's where all my joy come from - them. Keeping them on the right path, making sure they do right at school. I give them whatever they want. I got honor roll students at home. That's all I want, 'cause I ain't graduate. It gives me joy to see what they accomplished with daddy there. That's why I'm trying to fight for better living wages. I want better for them. I want to buy me a nice house where my kids could run around in big ol' rooms! Let's get this together and make these jobs better. Not just the garbage! Everybody. Everybody that's being underpaid, mistreated! Once you pay your bills, you got little coins in your pocket. But what about something in the bank? It would be a better world.” #nolabeings #neworleans #supportthehoppers #happyfathersday —- Support: gofundme.com/f/helping-the-essential + follow @thecitywasteunion https://www.instagram.com/p/CBtp_p3gAdN/?igshid=1cigh9br6d0vf
