in our Spotlight on Business Report tonight two Jersey City building service workers say they were fired last year after participating in Union organizing activities now more than a year after their termination the National Labor Relations Board issued a complaint seeking an official apology and compensation from the building owner and as Ted Goldberg reports they simply want their jobs back I woke up this morning and my kids have no food in their refrigerator bills are piling up rent is getting backed up again Nicholas Rivera says the last year or so has been hard since losing his job as a concierge for this apartment building in Jersey City we've been already to the point where I had to sell my car to avoid getting evicted to keep a roof over my family's head um and it hasn't gotten any better Rivera worked for Guardian service Industries which was contracted by Equity residential and he says they fired him and his partner meline for trying to organize a union Rivera was a concierge officially in charge of checking in packages and keeping the building secure unofficially there was more to it they know I would always go out of my way and try to do the best I could do for them um so yeah even if it meant removing rodents uh stomping out a few roaches here and there for them Rivera wanted to organize a union for better pay and benefits and he felt Guardian was being dishonest to its residents about the actual condition of the building they started lying to us as well started lying to the workers as well um I thought that we were starting to get paid unfairly I thought that we were doing more than what we were getting paid to do the minute that we started having conversations with the Union they kind of started nitpicking at us and um we noticed that their energies and their attitude started towards us started changing a lot he started speaking with 32 BJ SEIU which represents building workers Statewide Rivera says this is what got him fired though he received a different explanation from Guardian they basically told me that I was fired because I took a uh a break I took a lunch break are you allowed to take lunch breaks I'm allowed to take lunch breaks yes I am I mean legally lawfully uh when you're working at 8 n hour shift everybody is allowed to have at least a 30-minute break Guardian did not respond to our request for comment in response to getting fired Rivera filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board within a few weeks it's been more than a year since but the nlrb has taken his side and is asking Rivera's old employers to reinstate him with back pay and an apology it is 32bj who is continuing to reach out to us um give us information on um you know what what what's going on uh with uh you know with equity and guardian or what are they planning on doing um equity and guardian have not spoken to us at all they have not been in communication with us at all it does not happen in every organizing drive but it happens with um tragic frequency Brent Garen is the Deputy general counsel for 32bj he says the next step comes in October when Rivera gets a hearing case will go to an administrator law judge who will make an initial determination and then of course there are appeals and I'm very confident we will win in front of an alj and win any appeals but that process can take quite a while Rivera is hoping the judge sides with him so he can get back to work and continue to keep food on the table and a roof over his family's head in Jersey City I'm Ted Goldberg NJ Spotlight news