After janitors protested job losses and pay cuts Thursday, city officials shifted the blame for the cuts onto the city's janitorial service providers.

The janitors say most of them lost their jobs and others lost most of their income in the city's recent switch to a non-union janitor service. About a dozen janitors held a small protest in front of City Hall on Thursday.

Just over a dozen workers held up banners that said, "Respect our contract" and "What do we want? Affordable healthcare." They urged the city to find a union janitorial service that could rehire them.

More at source: MV-Voice

W.W. Grainger Inc.'s (GWW) October daily sales rose 6% from a year earlier, benefiting from higher prices and sales of hurricane-related products.

The supplier of industrial goods ranging from lighting to janitorial products has generally posted increased earnings in recent quarters, aided by growing demand from businesses and institutions, such as hospitals and schools. The company is often considered a bellwether of the U.S. economy because of the breadth of its offerings. Grainger has also expanded its global footprint through acquisitions, including the Brazilian industrial-supplies distributor AnFreixo S.A. and European fastener firm Fabory Group.

Calif., Nov. 5, 2012 -- /PRNewswire/ -- Universal Services of America, one of the largest providers of security and janitorial services in the U.S., is proud to announce that they have acquired RJWestmore, Inc. For over 20 years, RJWestmore, Inc. has been providing safety and security solutions to commercial real estate companies across the

More at source: Sacremento Bee

The board of education made the decision Tuesday during a closed session portion of its meeting.

"The board is not interested in changing the way we currently provide custodian services," said Rick Kriesky, superintendent of Lexington City Schools.

More at source: The Dispatch

 

CLEVELAND - When Brian Davis walks up to the tombstone of Thomas Barber, who died in 1886 at the age of 85, he knows the simple devices in his hands will make a difference.

Barber's stone tablet features a cross near the top and is covered with dirt, lichens and mold in its spot near the treeline.

Davis sprays all sides with water, scrapes off the lichens with a broad Popsicle stick and rubs on the flat surfaces of the stone with a natural-bristle brush.

"This is just water and a brush," he emphasizes, as significant dirt is removed.

He employs light, circular motions, while also making sure he doesn't lean on or put undue pressure on the marker, which has been sitting in this spot for some 125 years.

More at source: Salsbury Post

During the three-minute film he is seen to climb out of the top floor window and on to the other side of the stone balustrade, before walking around the outside of the building.

Later on he is seen doing the same thing on the level below, but this time walking along the top of the narrow windows – but again without any kind of safety equipment.

A member of staff at Loch Fyne said the incident was being dealt with internally by the restaurant chain's owners Greene King, and added that they had been in contact with the health and safety team at Bath and North East Somerset Council.

B&NES yesterday confirmed it was investigating the incident.

More at source: Bath.UK

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - West Lafayette police dispatchers say two people fell off a building early Thursday afternoon near Salisbury Street and Cumberland Avenue.

Dispatchers say fire crews headed to the scene around 1:30 p.m. Thursday at Westminster Village, located at 2741 N. Salisbury St.

More at source: wishtv.com

A former cleaning woman has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges that she stole a rare, $3 million bust of Ben Franklin from a Bryn Mawr collector's home.

Andrea Lawton, 46, of Mobile, Ala., was indicted Thursday and has been charged by the U.S. Attorney's Office with one count each of interstate transportation of stolen property and concealing stolen property.

More at source: Philly.com