OAKLAND, Calif. — In response to SN’s online article, “Union Spotlights Online Cleaning Chemicals,” ABM Janitorial Services, New York, one of four cleaning services employed by Safeway in Northern California, disputes a statement attributed to Rachele Huennekens, Northern California communications specialist for the SEIU United Service Workers West, including Local 1877, based here, who said that SEIU has not been able to file a grievance regarding the impact of cleaning chemicals on janitorial employees because there was no green cleaning standards provision in the previous contract that is now being renegotiated.
“In fact, the agreement includes safety provisions under which such grievances could have been filed,” Eric Berman, a spokesman for ABM said in an email communication.
However, Huennekens, in response, said that in the current contract the only health and safety language pertains to providing “safety gloves as needed” to employees. “It is patently false to say that our union could file grievances over other, unrelated safety issues such as unsafe chemicals or lack of training,” she said.
Berman also noted that “no medical claims or workers compensation claims have been submitted relative to these products or to this issue.”
Huennekens said that workers compensation claims would be a possibility if new green cleaning standards are not placed in the next contract. She added that workers have sought medical attention for reactions to cleaning chemicals and that has been covered by health insurance.
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