Taking a Stand at Standard Insurance
For over 20 years, Standard Insurance Center and Standard Plaza have invested in a responsible union janitorial company to keeps their offices clean. Janitors in the buildings had good jobs, earned fair wages and had access to affordable healthcare. In July, Standard made the decision to switch to Millennium Building Services, a non-union contractor marked “Red,” the lowest possible rating, on ResponsibleContractorGuide.net. Millennium workers have been speaking out about working conditions since 2017. Workers report extreme exploitation, unfair wages and unaffordable health insurance. Millennium is known for using a subcontractor model, where they may further subcontract janitorial services to dubious “independent contractors” — sometimes without the knowledge of the building managers.
Health and Safety Problems Land Millennium Building Services in Spotlight — Again
Millennium employee who fell multiple stories reveals hidden layers of subcontracting. The story reads like a nightmare: Jeff Ready-Kraft, a window cleaner, fell eight stories from the top of the Morgan Building in downtown Portland. His hand was burned from attempting to grip the rope to stop himself. A witness told local news, “Out of the corner of my eye, I saw this flash. There was a little vibration you could feel when he landed on the ground, it was crazy.” Further investigation from Oregon’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) revealed that the building owners may not have even known that Mr. Ready-Kraft would be working on their building.
Victory for Janitors at Nike
Last September, Millennium Building Service janitors approached property managers for Nike to ask for them to speak up for janitors’ job quality at the Nike corporate headquarters. The janitors were paid poverty wages, had no access to affordable health insurance, believed they were being denied protected sick time, and wanted a voice on the job. They asked Nike to communicate to Millennium, their employer, that Millennium should work with their workers. Millennium refused to talk with janitors when they raised concerns directly. In July, Millennium janitors celebrated victory. After months of organizing their coworkers, and filing federal charges related to alleged interrogation, retaliation and coercion, Nike decided to choose a…
Unico Properties Eliminates Good Jobs at Machineworks and the Lovejoy
Shortly after union janitors left the building, complaints already had come up and tenants were concerned – that’s what janitors heard when they visited The Lovejoy and Machineworks in Northwest Portland in August. Unico Properties manages both The Lovejoy and also Machineworks, a property owned by Blackrock (NYSE: BLK). In July, Unico decided to take a risk by using Millennium Building Services for janitorial service, a decision that meant eliminating good janitorial jobs in the buildings. Unico’s decision to undercut area jobs standards for janitors appears to move in the opposite direction of one of their tenants at Machineworks, Microsoft. In August, Microsoft announced that they would require service contractors…
Janitors & Supporters Speak Out About Switch to Low Road Contractors at Machineworks and the Lovejoy Building
Tenants at The Lovejoy and Machine Works aren’t the only ones dissatisfied after Millennium Building Services took over janitorial service at the buildings—local janitors are speaking out too! The property manager, Unico Properties, is in the hot seat after they decided to bring in Millennium instead of one of the many responsible contractors operating in Portland. Millennium has a record of problems with their employees. Millennium employees have reported poverty wages even after years of loyalty. BOLI, the state labor agency, found that Millennium illegally denied workers their rights under Oregon’s sick leave law. Millennium also reported on-the-job injuries and illnesses at 2–3 times the industry average rate. Janitors spent…
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