Washington County Commissioners awarded the bid for janitorial services at the Health Department to Spencer Management when they met this morning. Spencer Management was the sole bidder when bids were opened last week. Commissioner Mike Dunlap gave an update on the rental space used by the Natural Resource Service Center in the Tyler Ag Building. Commissioners estimate that $90,000 in improvements is needed to bring the building up to the renter's specifications. The current rent is approximately $600/month. Commissioners will look at ways to recoup their expenses should the repairs be made.

Following the lead of University library and janitorial workers, Brown Dining Services employees voted Thursday to switch their union representation from Service Employees International Union Local 615 to the United Service and Allied Workers of Rhode Island.USAW won by a 34-point margin in the run-off election, which was held following a close race at the end of August that resulted in a 76-73 vote for USAW. Because neither party received the required number of votes needed to win in August, the run-off was necessary.  
On Sept. 28 undefined weeks before the run-off vote undefined the SEIUfiled charges with the National Labor Relations Board against the University for unfair labor practices following a series of deductions from employee paychecks at the beginning of the semester. TheSEIU contends that these over-deductions, marked as union dues, created a skewed atmosphere for the election.

“It doesn’t project the image of the city that we think we have,” said Joy Forbes, Burbank’s assistant city manager, who has been fielding complaints. “We have a small-town feel. These types of advertising vehicles don’t reflect the image of Burbank that most people have.”

More at source: NBC News

At 2 a.m. this morning, the union for many New England janitors announced that a tentative agreement had been reached on a new contract for 14,000 workers. The deal came just after the midnight expiration of the current contract, averting a strike that could have begun this morning. It resolves the latest showdown between the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the janitorial contractors hired by major corporations.

More at source: In These Times

Sniffling, sneezing, and coughing. They are all symptoms of the common coldundefinedand they are on the rise this time of year in metro Denver.

And, with flu season right around the corner, doctors say now’s the time to get ready.

Children’s Hospital Colorado diagnosed two cases of influenza B in the past two weeks.

Genevieve Blauwet is a healthy and obviously happy one-year-old.

But that smile will soon disappear.

Her dad, Jason, brought her to Partners in Pediatrics in Denver for a flu shot.

More at source: KDVR

The Justice Department announced today that it reached an agreement with Diversified Maintenance Systems LLC, a provider of janitorial and facilities maintenance services based in Tampa, Fla .  The agreement resolves allegations that the company violated the anti-discrimination provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) when it failed to fully reinstate an employee in retaliation for asserting her right to work in the United States 

The charging party alleged that the company failed to provide the employee with proper notice and instructions for contesting an initial data mismatch in E-Verify, resulting in E-Verify issuing an erroneous final response that she was not work authorized.   E-Verify is an Internet-based system run by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that confirms employment eligibility by comparing information from an employee’s Form I-9. 

BURLINGTON undefined A self-employed janitor hired to clean a Boone County office was charged Thursday with killing an office employee he had befriended.

David Dooley, 38, of Burlington is charged with murder and tampering with physical evidence for removing something from the crime scene, said Boone County sheriff’s spokesman Tom Scheben.

More at source: Cinn.com

An overwhelming musty stench of garbage, feces and chemicals greeted those who entered a three-bedroom home in Camarillo.

In the dark hallway past the living room and into the kitchen lay neatly stacked soggy plastic bags filled with garbage piled nearly 4 feet high. Some bags contained unopened tomato soup, canned cat food, mayonnaise and soda cans so old the liquid had rusted through and left a mark on the linoleum floor.

In one bedroom, the former resident, an 84-year-old woman, had carved out a tiny space to lay her head below cobwebs and piles of neatly stacked clothing that towered beside her bed.

Not the Sexiest Industry; but Perhaps a Fundamental Indicator in the Making…

No; cleaning an office building at night or cleaning a restaurant kitchen isn’t as fashionable as operating an  iPad, and laundering uniforms for large or small businesses isn’t as attractive as making an iPhone work; but cleaning and uniform supply are one of the fundamental tiers that high style economies are built on. Even a nifty gadget loses its engrossing appeal in a dirty restaurant or when the food-server has a heavily smudged rag with yesterday’s menu on it.

In fact, as industrial and commercial ‘cleaning’ revenues increase; there’s a reason; more productivity and as far as laundry goes, a business cleaning 20 smocks that orders 20 more and begins cleaning shows… growth. An indicator if you will…

More at source: Small Cap Network

The Morgan County Commission trimmed more than $100,000 from its maintenance budget for the coming fiscal year by contracting with a local company to clean the courthouse.

“We were able to save about $162,000 by contracting out the janitorial services,” Chairman Ray Long said. “We look to save in any way we can, so we found this to be a lot cheaper route.”

The commission approved a low bid of $83,100 from Ayers Cleaning Service for janitorial duties at the courthouse.

Initially, Maintenance Director Wayne Lindley will oversee the company’s cleaning of the courthouse, Long said.

Long said the county was paying about $245,000 for salaries and benefits for three janitorial employees and for cleaning supplies in the maintenance department.

More at source: Decatur Daily