SEIU Local 26 janitors march for green alternatives

MINNEAPOLIS — Janitors represented by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 26 kicked off their campaign to make green cleaning a reality with a march through downtown Minneapolis on December 5, according to a press release.

By striving to increase the use of green cleaning products with safer chemicals, recycle more waste and support the transition to day-shift cleaning, SEIU Local 26 janitors are hoping to green the greater Minneapolis area, the release stated.

According to the SEIU Local 26, "Day-shift cleaning is a growing trend in the cleaning industry; it can reduce energy use by up to 8 percent and leads to better client satisfaction with a stable, well-trained cleaning staff. And while safer, "green" chemicals are now available at little or no additional cost, there is still pervasive use of more dangerous, conventional cleaning products."

The Green Jobs Green Future campaign has gained the support of environmental organizations including the Blue Green Alliance, the Minnesota Public Interest Research Group (MPIRG) and the Sierra Club, the release noted.

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and Congressman Keith Ellison joined the janitors and marched in support of adopting green alternatives to toxic cleaning chemicals and increasing recycling efforts, the release added.

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EPA releases WaterSense label for commercial applications

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently released its first WaterSense specification for a commercial building product, according to a press release.

According to the release, WaterSense-labeled flushing urinals will use 50 percent less water than standard urinals, saving businesses 4,000 gallons of water per year for every fixture installed.

In addition to using no more than a half-gallon of water per flush, urinals bearing the WaterSense label meet the EPA's performance requirements, ensuring they work as well or better than standard models, the release stated.

As an example of the water saving capability of WaterSense-labeled urinals, a college with 10,000 students that installs WaterSense labeled urinals in its classroom buildings will save each year enough water to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool, the release noted.

All WaterSense-labeled products are independently tested and certified to meet rigorous criteria for both efficiency and performance, the release added.

More information: http://www.epa.gov/watersense

Vernon Hills Retirement Community Legionnaires' disease outbreak

VERNON HILLS, IL — The source of an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease responsible for two deaths and seven hospitalizations at a retirement community has been identified as contaminated pool and spa water, according to the Vernon Hills Review.

After tests at The Park at Vernon Hills came back positive for Legionella bacteria, environmental consulting firm EBSol Inc. — a company specializing in Legionella detection — was brought in to help determine the cause of the outbreak and come up with a remediation plan, the story stated.

Melaney Arnold, a spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Public Health, said: "We did find the Legionella bacteria at the facility and right now the environmental consultant the facility hired is working on a remediation plan. [The pool, spa and rainforest area in the atrium of the facility] will not be allowed to open again until we get two consecutive negative test samples for Legionella. In a situation like this, proper maintenance of pools and spa areas is very important."

Bio-Incident Management Services was contracted to clean and disinfect the pool and other water features where contaminated water was found, the story noted.

The Park at Vernon Hills, which hopes to have the affected areas completely disinfected and opened within the next few weeks, is keeping residents apprised to the latest developments with frequent updates, the story added.

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Custodian wins workers' compensation case over perfume

SAINT JOHN, NB, Canada — After suffering a severe allergic reaction from perfume and cologne worn by students, a custodian at Saint John High School won a workers' compensation battle, according to the National Post.

This case, involving an unnamed custodian, is believed to be the first case in Canada where fragrances in schools have been classified as a workplace hazard, the story stated.

Gary Walker, principal of Halifax West High School, said: "I have a teacher I have sent to hospital several times in an ambulance. When Axe [body spray for men] first came out, she just dropped, the scent was so violent for her. During our parent meetings we talk about it, in our newsletters we talk about it, on our website we talk about it. We spend a lot of time on it."

According to the story, the woman, who has had similar reactions when exposed to pungent perfumes, suffered dizziness, labored breathing and "extreme chest pains" that spread across her chest and down her arms.

An appeal tribunal ruled that exposure to the perfume qualified as an injury arising out of the janitor's work, ordering the New Brunswick workers' compensation commission to accept her request for benefits, the story noted.

School District 8 has had a "scent-free" policy in place for several years now because of complaints from teachers and staff, the story added.

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San Jacinto Unified School District hires armed security guards

SAN JACINTO, CA — In response to recent incidents of night-shift custodians being assaulted, the San Jacinto Unified School District has hired armed security guards to patrol campuses, according to the Press-Enterprise.

According to the article, the decision to hire a firm to provide security detail for the district comes after the concept of Team Cleaning was introduced to increase the safety of custodians working in schools at night.

San Jacinto Unified School District Superintendent Shari Fox, who called the incidents "anomalies," said: "As of now, everyone is in Team Cleaning, so they are always with one other person, within hollering distance."

The San Jacinto Unified trustees voted earlier this week to hire a security firm for six months at a charge of no more than $65,000 plus $25 per alarm call, the story stated.

In a November 18 incident, a suspect, who demanded money from a male custodian at Edward Hyatt Elementary School and hit him with a stick, ran away after the custodian began yelling at him, the story noted.

In the most recent incident that occurred just after midnight on December 3, a female custodian was found unconscious at Jose Antonio Estudillo Elementary School, presumably the victim of an assault, the story added.

According to the story, the California School Employees Association (CSEA), the union representing the San Jacinto Unified School District custodians, feels hiring a security firm to ensure the well-being of night-shift custodians is a good and necessary move.

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Lake County votes to outsource maintenance work

NORTHBROOK, IL — The Lake County Board voted to privatize 13 county maintenance jobs yesterday, a move that will save the county more than $250,000, according to the Lake County News-Sun.

The Lake County Board voted to layoff the employees because their union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 5372, would not agree to delay their scheduled pay raise by a year, the story stated.

Lake County Administrator Barry Burton said: "The county has less revenue coming in and cannot afford to increase employee salaries. The reality is we don't like having to do outsourcing, but these are extraordinary times. We have to make cuts. This was a difficult decision we did not take lightly."

It would have cost $259,000 to give the 13 employees the $3.25 raise they wanted, but by outsourcing to Northshore Building Maintenance Inc., the county will save $275,000, the story noted.

The Lake County Board passed the resolution to outsource maintenance tasks with a vote of 17 to 6, the story added.

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Neshaminy School District eyes significant savings from outsourcing

LANGHORNE, PA — By outsourcing its janitorial services, the Neshaminy School District could save nearly $9 million over three years, according to the Bucks County Courier Times.

The Neshaminy School District anticipates that it will spend $15.8 million in three years if it renews a contract with its current union employees; however, by privatizing janitorial services with a company like Pritchard Industries Inc., the district foresees spending only 6.8 million in those same three years, the story stated.

Neshaminy School Board President Ritchie Webb said: "I want to point out that the board will exhaust every effort to negotiate a fair and equitable contract for both sides before using the outside contractors."

District janitors, represented by the Neshaminy Educational Support Professional Association, have been working on an expired contract since July and say they cannot afford the higher health premiums the district is proposing in negotiations, the story noted.

According to the Neshaminy School District website, "The union's refusal to adequately address the above issues, related primarily to benefits for full-time workers, leaves us little choice but to continue to consider contracting with third parties as a partial solution to the financial challenges we face."

The district plans to continually update their website on the status of the negotiations, the story added.

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