Janus employees protest low wages

Employees and their families protested outside of Janus of Santa Cruz, Thursday. They said they want the board to know they will no longer put up with unfair pay. ” It’s time for us to get better pay, so we can live in our community, ” said Rikki Bell, an employee at the protest.

Janus of Santa Cruz has served the community in addiction treatment for over 40 years. Long-time addiction counselor, Matthew Van Nuys, said since then, the organization has developed a disregard for the needs of employees. ” Janus, which is a people focused organization, has helped so many people in the community value their own well-being. Why aren’t they valuing the well-being of the employees that are working for them? ” said Van Nuys.

Van Nuys, his wife and their 7-month-old son live out of a trailer in a friend’s backyard. He said after they were evicted from their apartment in October, they were left with no other option. ” I get paid $17 an hour. That’s not a livable wage with a baby, ” said Van Nuys.

Van Nuys said he and others have gone to Janus’ board to discuss employee pay and benefits many times over the past two years. He said low wages have resulted in high employee turnover and longer waits for patients who need treatment.

In a statement from Janus, CEO Rudy Escalante, said the board offered employees a salary raise of 2% in January. He explained that paying workers more would put all Janus programs at risk.

Van Nuys said he is passionate about helping people overcome addictions, but if his pay doesn’t increase he won’t be able to do it much longer. ” If they’re unable to do that I’m going to have to find a new job in the next few weeks, ” said Van Nuys.