A state court jury could decide as early as Tuesday whether an aggressive organizing campaign by the Service Employees International Union went too far when it accused a Houston cleaning company of systematic labor law violations, a verdict that could affect the tactics unions employ to sign up members and negotiate contracts.

The case, involving Professional Janitorial Service and the SEIU's efforts to organize the company's workers, pits what the union says are its constitutional rights to free speech against the company's claim that the union's unfounded charges that it broke the law drove clients away and cost it millions of dollars. The four-week trial, which ended Thursday with closing arguments, put the union's hardball tactics under a microscope and forced the SEIU for the first time to defend those methods in front of a jury.

More at source: Houston Chronicle

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He and three friends each plopped down a whopping $750 per person to start a cleaning company. Brent, the only partner in Houston, had a lot to learn. He hired five employees, who — along with his business partners — showed him how to make businesses shine.

“I’d get a new building and they’d come help me. I learned how to strip and wax the floors over the phone,” he said. “I thought I ruined the floor the first time I did. When you strip the wax off a vinyl floor, it changes color. Then when you put the wax back, the color comes back. But I didn’t know that.”

Their business grew to being the sixth largest janitorial contractor in Houston. But in 2006 they ran across a union group, Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

More at source:  BrietBart.com

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HOUSTON — A Houston woman is suing janitorial services, alleging their negligence caused her to fall and sustain injuries.

Joyce Logan, a Target employee filed a lawsuit Aug. 9 in the Harris County District Court against Prestige Maintenance USA Ltd. and Prestige Maintenance USA, Janitorial Supply LLC, alleging negligence in failing to exercise ordinary care in maintaining its premises in a safe condition.

According to the complaint, Logan entered 8500 South Main in Houston for the purpose of her employment with Target Corporation. The suit says she was seriously injured when she slipped and fell due to mop water left unattended by defendant's employees.

The lawsuit states Logan sustained injuries, pain and suffering, loss of earnings and necessary medical care and expenses. The plaintiff alleges the defendants' employees negligently permitted the floor to remain in dangerous condition and failed to warn Logan of such danger.

More at source: Sextex Record

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More than 20 janitorial workers held a one-day strike on Thursday in protest of what they say are unfair pay and unsafe working conditions on Arizona State University's Tempe and downtown Phoenix campuses.

The workers are employed by Olympus, a cleaning company specializing in the maintenance of academic institutions that has had a contract with ASU since 2009.

Martin Hernandez, who works with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union and helped organize the protest, said Olympus employees face unsafe conditions because of a lack of transportation between buildings on the sprawling Tempe campus.

More at source: AZ Central

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Scrubbing the kitchen or bathroom clean is not most people's idea of fun.

But aside from being an unwelcome chore, it could also be wreaking havoc with your health, a study has found.

Chemicals used in sprays and detergents which get our worktops and basins shining have also been linked to lung damage.

Chemicals found in household cleaning products are damaging lung function by 14 per cent more than average over 20 years, a Norwegian study has found.

A Norwegian study found people who use household products are at greater risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) - which includes the conditions chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

More at source: Daily UK

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In 2003, the Service Employees International Union brought its Justice for Janitors organizing campaign to Houston, eventually signing up 5,300 workers employed by janitorial service companies and scoring the first labor organizing victory in Houston in 25 years.

It was the first toe-hold in the South for the nation's second largest union, but came only after a bitter fight that included demonstrations, boycotts, blocked traffic, and pressured pension fund investors.

More at source: Houston Chronicle

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The janitors who clean the T and their supporters rally today against job cuts they say could leave the MBTA a mess. (SEIU)

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority plans to cut one-third of the workforce that cleans the "T" stations in the Boston area as part of a plan to balance its budget. But janitors and their supporters will be out in force on Monday to stand against the cutbacks.

Cambridge Vice Mayor Marc McGovern said he'll be among those at the protest. He said the MBTA is taking a wrongheaded approach by killing jobs when the move would have such a small impact on the agency's budget problems.

"You know, actually I think it's outrageous that the MBTA is trying to balance their budget on the backs of their lowest-paid workers,” McGovern said.

The MBTA said it is confident that cleanliness will not be affected by the plan to cut 90 janitorial positions on September 1st. But the pending cuts will impact MBTA workers' ability to pay their bills and provide for their children, McGovern said.

More at source: Public News Service

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The St. Louis Better Business Bureau wants caution home and business owners to be aware of cleaning services.

BBB Regional Director Joey Keys says those hiring cleaning services have to remember that they are allowing somebody full access to their home. If they don’t know the cleaner or if the cleaning service hasn’t done a background check, consumers could be exposed to theft or property damage.

“If you aren’t around to supervise, you may not be able to tell how much work the cleaning crew actually did,” a BBB article says. “Give the cleaner a list of items or rooms to be cleaned and how expect it to be done.”

The article says to agree in advance on fees, and if the fee is hourly, be sure to agree on how many hours the service is to work.

More at source: The Southern

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Bill Muir was burning out as an operations manager for a beverage company and started looking for another career. When his brother-in-law used a handgun to kill himself, Muir decided to clean up his sister's place.

Her gratitude for his gesture of grit and kindness gave him an idea. Five months later, Muir became a crime-scene cleaner.

"I wanted to start helping people," he said one recent afternoon before fielding a call to clean up a homicide scene. "And seeing my sister's face after … I knew this is how I can help."

In starting Naperville-based Bio-One Chicago last year, Muir and his wife, Dawn, joined the ranks of a profession that blends the demeanors of a funeral home director and grief counselor with a construction contractor who has a strong stomach and intimate knowledge of biohazard disposal. It also is a largely unregulated profession experiencing steady growth, fueled by increasing fear of contamination and disease, and awareness that the services exist, experts say.

More at source: Chicago Tribune

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OSHA will look into complaints that some janitorial workers in the Bay State are being required to carry propane to and from work in their personal vehicles.

BOSTON -- An investigation into the grocery business in Massachusetts uncovered...

More at source: Public News Service

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