She battled through tough times, but now she’s back on her feet
Pittsburgh in focus Office cleaners: Work with dignity
First of six parts. Today: Nekia Burton-Tucker
“I started out working in fast food, like most people to do, and I loved my job,” said Nekia BurtonTucker, 27, of the Hill District. “No matter what job I do, I love it. So I was making $8.25 an hour. One of the GMs came in and said, ‘Hey, you’re always at work, you’re always working. I want you to become a manager.’”
“Cool, that’s great. How much would I make?” Ms. BurtonTucker pointed out that she was catching two buses to work and was a single parent. She said the manager told her she’d make $10 an hour and be up for a raise every six months.
“I thought, perfect.” Ms. BurtonTucker said. “That way I can stop working multiple jobs.
“But every time [a management position] came up, they kept passing me up, passing me up. It was different stipulations. Like, ‘You need a car. You need to work 40plus hours.’ And then I beat every expectation. I bought the car; I worked the hours. The last straw was when they brought a 19-yearold in and made her a manager in a month.”
After working a job in Bridgeville, she took a job as a cleaner at a building on the North Side.
“It was fine for a while, but getting the car had messed me up,” she said. “Because my car was, like, 300-some dollars [a month], and insurance was high because I was under 25 years old.
“I lived at a place in the Hill District where it was $450 a month, but going from working at Arby’s 40-plus hours to working on the North Side as an extra — I lost a lot of hours. So I was only making maybe $900 a month.
“My landlord wasn’t very nice. I’m like, ‘Well, listen, I got a new job. I just need a couple of months
to get back on my feet.’
“You got a brand new car outside,” the landlord said.
“I needed it for work,” Ms. Burton-Tucker responded.
She then went through the entire eviction process.
“We ended up becoming homeless,” she said. “I didn’t have much help. So me and my son slept in the car for ... I’m sorry, I don’t know why I still cry ...
“Mostly, I parked in the Hill District. Sometimes the YMCA, we’d wash up there. He and I would get up, and we’d go take a shower there. He’d work out with me for a little bit, and then I’d take him to school. My son is very intelligent. He was never, like, ‘Mom, we’re sleeping in the car.’ I think he knew I was stressed out, so he kept me smiling and kept me going. He never even complained about it.
“I don’t want him to ever feel like it’s his fault or he’s a burden. So I just kept smiling and kept going. But it was very depressing. Some nights, I would sit in the car while he was sleeping and I’d just get upset. ‘Why me? What did I do? What karma is this?’”
Nekia and her son lived in the automobile for about 2½ months in 2015. During that time, she attended a rally staged by Service Employees International Union32BJ. Her enthusiasm earned her a job canvassing and organizing union members. After a few months, she was hired full time to clean an office building Downtown. She also works part time at Amazon and as a bartender.
She said, “I don’t have to worry about, ‘What am I going to pay now? What am I not going to pay?’ I don’t have to worry about not getting my son winter clothes because it came early this year. I guess I’m still struggling. But it’s only for better things. I want to take my son on trips, like to the Smithsonian. I want to do more for him so he can see more than just Pittsburgh.”