Two employees who identified themselves as workers at Cardenas stores owned by Apollo spoke during the University of California Investments Committee public-comment period on July 15, describing on-the-job heat illness, alleged harassment and reprisals for reporting concerns, and urging investor accountability.
Ginger Fernandez said she works in a closed room at a Cardenas store in Las Vegas and described suffering a heat stroke on June 13 when the air conditioning stopped and temperatures exceeded 110 degrees Fahrenheit. She said managers did not call an ambulance or send her home and asked her to finish her shift despite dizziness, headache and nosebleed.
Jose Oliveros, who said he works at a Cardenas store in San Jacinto, said human-resources staff dismissed his complaint about alleged inappropriate remarks by a supervisor and that management had not remedied long-running air-conditioning failures that left staff working in temperatures he estimated around 38 degrees Celsius. Oliveros also said he was accused of theft after reporting harassment and that he believes the accusation was retaliation for supporting a union push.
Both speakers linked working conditions at Cardenas to Apollo, an investment firm named by the commenters as an investor with ties to the University of California; they urged that investors consider worker safety and respect the right to organize. Their remarks were delivered as public comment and did not result in immediate board action.