"You start to think your savings are not great, your medication is expensive, and other expenses to cover are difficult," said Cendejas, 43.
Janitors - like caterers, carpenters and costume workers and other Hollywood trades - have been swept up in the economic downturn that has come with the so-called "hot labor summer" in Hollywood.
Cendejas hopes the strikes will end soon, but she is not encouraged by what she has seen.
While recovering from her surgery, she embroiders handmade napkins to sell and bring in some income for her home.
[1/3]Former Hollywood studio janitor Yolanda Cendejas, 43, embroiders handmade napkins for extra income after being laid off due to the Hollywood strikes, in Los Angeles, California, U.S. September 6, 2023.
Persons:
Yolanda Cendejas, Cendejas, Jorge Garcia, Karla Chavez, David Huerta, Huerta, Mary Milliken, Rosalba O'Brien
Organizations:
Hollywood, Los, REUTERS, Service Employees International Union, SEIU, Writers Guild of America, SAG, SEIU's United Service Workers, Netflix, Thomson
Locations:
Los Angeles, Mexico, Hollywood, Los Angeles , California, U.S