MINNEAPOLIS — The moment of silence that the members of the Service Employees International Union Local 26 held for 66-year-old Lorenzo Palma was somber.
A train went by in the distance, its horn could be heard as members of Local 26 held Palma's portrait in their hands.
A group of them gathered outside of the Local 26 office in Northeast Minneapolis on Monday. All were wearing masks, some wearing ones that specifically read, "Protect All Workers."
"He was a father and a husband -- and we are absolutely heartbroken and upset to be here with you again," Local 26 president Iriz Altamirano said. "To share that we have lost another member."
Altamirano said Palma passed away on Aug. 3 from COVID-19 after having worked as a janitor in downtown Minneapolis at the Ameriprise building. Palma is the second janitor the union lost during the pandemic.
"They're frontline workers, essential workers, and even forget where they fall in this frontline," Altamirano said. "The janitors that I represent, and that Local 26 represents, I think are best positioned to kill the virus before it even gets to anyone who is using any of the buildings that we frequently use."
Altamirano said Palma's death carries an incredible weight. Her mother was a janitor too.
"She was invisible to many people," she said. "The funny thing is, like many of our members, they come educated. My mom was a certified accountant in Mexico but clearly couldn't have that transfer to the U.S. and had to do what she had to do, like Lorenzo."
Altamirano teared up, talking about the work she was able to do with the union in the past 15 months.
"I think very seldom do communities that Local 26 represent -- the ones I grew up in -- it's seldom that we see justice," she said. "We talk about justice like it's a common thing that happens but it's not common. Injustice is what is very common."
This is especially true in communities of color and in immigrant communities. Altamirano said she's proud of the successful negotiations Local 26 was able to accomplish prior to the pandemic. She said they were able to negotiate better wages and hoped that the very momentum that took them there would carry them through during this difficult time.
She said she is asking local officials to step up in providing safer working environments to what is truly the frontline defense against the coronavirus.
"I always tell the members, when I see your children, I see me," she said. "And we can do this, you know? We've been able to do a lot. Never in our wildest dreams did we think we'd be fighting a pandemic, but we're here."
Tragically, it's a fight some are losing. That's why Palma is being remembered by his family and fellow Local 26 members.