Arlington, VA – On Tuesday, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) settled a complaint against Christos Building Services, Inc. that was issued on April 22, 2009, with agreement by Christos to pay $100,000 in back wages to 24 cleaners at the River House Apartments in Arlington, VA. Separately, the building’s management has terminated Christos’ cleaning contract and on October 1, 2009, H Street Management, LLC, the new contractor is hiring the cleaners back with full wages and benefits.
“Christos is just the latest example of why labor laws are in dire need of reform,” said Jaime Contreras, 32BJ SEIU Capitol Area Director. “These cleaners worked hard at a thankless job, their families suffered without that income.”
The cleaners lost their jobs after Building Service Management Incorporated (BSMI), a 32BJ signatory cleaning contractor lost the contract to Christos on July 1, 2008. Christos admits no guilt to the charges in the complaint that they refused to hire the cleaners due to their union affiliation and of avoiding bargaining obligations with 32BJ. The Apartment complex, where some of the cleaners had been employed for as long as two decades, has honored union cleaning contracts since 1963.
More than 3,500 members of 32BJ work and reside in the Commonwealth. The union represents office cleaners who maintain commercial buildings and government agencies throughout Northern Virginia.
With more than 110,000 members in nine states, including more than 15,000 in the Washington D.C.-Metropolitan area, 32BJ SEIU is the largest property service workers union in the country.
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updated 8/26/09
