Let’s Talk about Good Jobs at Umpqua Bank Plaza
Umpqua Bank prides itself on being a community bank, responsive to the needs of the people it serves and open to hearing comments from customers and the public. But when their janitorial contractor at their headquarters, Umpqua Bank Plaza, decided to eliminate 7 good union jobs for janitors in their building, community members were shocked that Umpqua Bank failed to intervene to protect good jobs for the Portland community. Now, members of the Portland community are asking Umpqua Bank to be true to its values. Umpqua has program to allow customers to call their CEO from every bank “store” using a special phone. Janitors and supporters in Portland are calling…
Zeller Realty chose a company with a history of legal problems to clean Umpqua Bank Plaza
National Maintenance Contractors (NMC), the company Zeller Realty Group chose to clean Umpqua Bank Plaza, sells dubious franchises to janitors—reportedly often to immigrant workers with limited English proficiency—through contracts that charge thousands of dollars in fees for the right to service Zeller’s customer accounts. Recently, the Oregon Court of Appeals ruled that NMC must back pay the state approximately $138,000 in unemployment insurance taxes because these “franchisees” are legally employees. Findings in the case include: Franchisees (janitors) had to pay thousands of dollars to work for NMC. Some franchisees waited months for NMC to provide the work they had paid for. NMC deducted from franchisees’ income up to 51% of…
Hundreds demonstrate at Umpqua Bank Plaza to urge real estate company to hire responsible janitorial contractor
Members of SEIU Local 49 joined Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers and community activists in a demonstration outside Umpqua Bank Plaza on August 25. Hundreds participated in the rally, which was the latest in a series of efforts to urge the Chicago-based property owner, Zeller Realty Group, to reverse its consequential decision to replace a union janitorial company with a low-road contractor. Check out the story on KGW! Zeller Realty Group entered the Portland real estate market with its purchase of Umpqua Bank Plaza in January, 2017. After seven months, Zeller replaced their janitorial contractor with National Maintenance Contractors, a company with a documented history of employment‐related problems. The decision resulted in…
Good Jobs Leaving Umpqua Bank Plaza
Recently, Chicago-based Zeller Realty Group bought the Umpqua Bank Plaza building and decided to switch janitorial contractors, bringing in one with a documented history of paying low wages and benefits. Now janitors in this building – like Maria Jimenez – are threatened by the possibility of losing their good jobs. If Zeller wants a new janitorial company to clean Umpqua Bank Plaza, it has several options that are responsible union contractors. “My name is Maria. I just had a baby and because I work for a union janitorial company with affordable healthcare, I did not have to pay a lot. I was also planning to care for him at home…
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