Janitorial Company Owners Face Charges for Allegedly Underreporting Payroll by over $2.4 million

Jose Arredondo, aged 50, and his wife Olga Chaves, aged 45, faced arraignment today on charges of insurance fraud following a California Department of Insurance investigation.

Allegations suggest that the couple, owners of a janitorial company based in Fontana, systematically underreported their company’s payroll by over $2.4 million. This purported action was intended to circumvent workers compensation insurance premiums and evade payroll taxes.

The investigation commenced after an employee of the janitorial company sustained a workplace injury, prompting the insurance company providing workers  compensation coverage to suspect fraudulent activity. Subsequent inquiries revealed discrepancies regarding the company’s coverage period and employee tenure, indicating a lack of prior insurance coverage for workers... 

More at source: Crime Voice

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Tennessee company fined nearly $650K for illegally hiring minors to clean slaughterhouses

A Tennessee-based cleaning company has agreed to pay nearly $650,000 in civil penalties after federal investigators found the company employed at least 24 children at two slaughtering and meatpacking facilities, the U.S. Department of Labor announced.

A federal court in Iowa approved a consent order and judgment Monday with Fayette Janitorial Service LLC, which requires the company to pay $649,304 in civil penalties, the Labor Department said in a news release. The company must also hire a third party to implement company policies to prevent the illegal employment of children and create a program for reporting concerns about child labor violations.

More at source: USA Today

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How cleaning product chemicals called ‘quats’ may affect the brain

Scientists at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland have raised a new concern: They’ve found quaternary ammonium compounds to be potentially toxic to a type of brain cell. 

These cells, called oligodendrocytes, provide the fatty insulation (called myelin) around nerves, which allows neural signals to travel through the brain faster. The study also found that organophosphate flame retardants used in some household furniture appear to stunt the growth of oligodendrocytes.

More at source: Washington Post

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Global Cleaning Services Market Size To Worth USD 729.47 Billion By 2033 | CAGR of 6.50%

- The Global Cleaning Services Market Size is to Grow from USD 388.43 Billion in 2023 to USD 729.47 Billion by 2033, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 6.50% during projected period.

The global cleaning services market is expected to grow due to increasing demand for sustainability, employee wellness, and hygiene. Rapid urbanization, smart city garbage management, and the adoption of new technology, such as autonomous sweepers, are driving growth in the industry. However, the labor shortage is a result of inadequate training, an aging workforce, and changing employment conditions, affecting market growth and negatively impacting company goodwill due to flexible work arrangements. Hence, these factors may impede the market growth of the global cleaning services market during the forecast period.

More at source: Yahoo Finance

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CHICAGO — The contract for thousands of Chicago-area janitors is set to expire this weekend and according to them, bargaining is not getting them the changes they want so, they marched.

Janitorial workers from SEIU Local 1 rallied in the rain and the snow Wednesday, and then marched to the headquarters of the Building Owners and Management Association, also known as BOMA.

“We are four days shy of contract expiration – time is running out for BOMA and the contractors to come to an agreement with SEIU Local 1 janitors,” said SEIU Local 1 President Genie Kastrup.  “Janitors are vital to keeping our city’s buildings sanitized, safe and welcoming and they deserve a contract that allows them to live with dignity and support their families, nothing less.

“The livelihood of 8,000 janitors is at stake and everyday members across Chicagoland are demonstrating their readiness and commitment to doing whatever it takes – including a strike if it comes to that.”

The contract would impact 3,000 janitors at commercial buildings in downtown Chicago, and 8,000 total across Chicagoland.

More at source: WGN TV Chicago

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Airbnb Has a Plan to Fix Cleaning Fees

Pretty much everyone hates Airbnb cleaning fees — those pesky charges tacked on to your vacation rental bill that supposedly cover the costs to get the place ready for the next visitors. Travelers don’t like the expense, and hosts don’t like charging them, either.

Dennis Shirshikov, an Airbnb host who owns a rental property in upstate New York, says cleaning fees are the most common complaint he gets from customers.

“We are strongly considering cutting them off,” he says.

And Shirshikov might get his way. Airbnb is set to roll out big changes that won’t end cleaning fees but could make them more transparent for customers and incentivize hosts to reduce or forgo them altogether.

More at source: Nerd Wallet

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Janitorial workers at local university blame cleaning product for allergic reactions

Several janitorial workers employed by a company that cleans Nova Southeastern University are voicing concerns regarding a new product they have been asked to use.

They believe a new disinfectant they began using in December made them sick and say the company they work for, Encompass Onsite, did not take their concerns seriously.

“I felt like I couldn’t get air. All of this burned,” said worker Alba Ramirez, pointing to her throat.

Another worker Angel Valdes said when he grabbed the liquid, he began having trouble breathing.

“A rash broke out on my face, my entire body,” a third worker, Maria Teresa Hernandez, told NBC6 Investigators.

Helene O’Brien is the union leader of 32BJ SEIU, which represents janitorial workers in Florida.

More at source: NBC

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Thousands of janitors begin three-day strike across Twin Cities, MSP Airport

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Thousands of Twin Cities essential workers took to the picket line Monday after months of unsuccessful bargaining.

Over 4,000 janitors with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 26 began a three-day strike at 6 a.m. outside the Ameriprise headquarters in downtown Minneapolis. The union says the workers intend to strike at over 100 buildings across the metro this week and at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

"Our two biggest issues are wage increases and getting an employer-paid retirement for the first time," said Greg Nammacher, president of SEIU Local 26.

More at source: CBS

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Labor Department cites meatpacking cleaning company for 'oppressive child labor' practices

The Department of Labor has issued an injunction and temporary restraining order against a meatpacking industry cleaning and sanitation company for allegedly "continuing to engage in oppressive child labor" in Virginia and Iowa.

The nationwide restraining order and injunction was filed on Wednesday against the Tennessee-based company Fayette Janitorial Service LLC, whose workers clean and sanitize meat processing facilities and dry food processing plants.

More at source: ABC NEWS

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US DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AGAIN CITES GREEN BAY CLEANING PRODUCTS MANUFACTURER AFTER WORKER SUFFERS AMPUTATION, FINES COMPANY $194K

GREEN BAY, WI – A federal investigation into how a Tufco LP employee’s fingertip was amputated in August 2023 determined that the Green Bay household cleaning products manufacturer violated federal regulations for the control of hazardous energy during service and maintenance tasks and failed to report the amputation injury, as required.  

An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration at Tufco LP found an employee’s fingertip was severed while clearing a pump’s outfeed on Aug. 18, 2023. The employee was part of an overnight crew that was running and maintaining melt tanks used to create scented laundry beads. Safety investigators learned the product lines were not locked out or shut down, exposing the worker to the pumps’ point of operation.

OSHA inspectors determined Tufco LP lacked written lockout/tagout procedures that would have prevented employees from contact with moving machine parts and failed to retrain employees on such procedures when they were re-assigned to a new production area. OSHA also noted a lack of machine guarding and that the plant failed to develop and implement a respiratory protection program. The agency cited the company for exposing workers to similar machine hazards in 2019 and 2021. 

More at source: US Dept. Of Labor

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