Last week, the U.S. Ninth Court of Appeals overturned the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) 2014 labor dispute ruling. The court ruled that administrators in San Francisco were illegally dismissed by their employer in 2014 for picket lines in an office building, MSN reports.

In the fall of 2014, caretakers from Preferred Building Services asked Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 87 for help clearing their concerns about low wages, poor working conditions and alleged sexual harassment from their manager – Rafael Ortiz, owner of Ortiz. clear out janitorial services.

The President of SEIU Local 87 suggested that the guards picket outside their employer’s building, which the workers did on October 29, 2014 and November 19, 2014. In response, Ortiz fired four of the pickets. The custodian employer, Preferred Building Services, terminated its contracts with Ortiz Janitorial Services and the building’s management company, Harvest Properties, 30 days later, and many of the remaining custodians were laid off.

SEIU Local 87 filed a lawsuit with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) alleging that Preferred and Ortiz had committed unfair labor practices and fired custodian employees for picket and union activities. The NLRB sided with the employer and ordered the complaint to be dismissed in its entirety. The union filed a petition for review with the U.S. Ninth Court of Appeals.

The court ruled 3-0 that the employees were illegally dismissed and sided with the union. The judicial commission said the pickets acted lawfully and were entitled to seek assistance from tenants.

The post Court docket Finds San Francisco Custodians Illegally Fired for Picketing appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

With the new school year fast approaching, an army of dedicated workers in the Sooke School District has worked hard behind the scenes polishing, scrubbing, and waxing every square inch to ensure schools shine when the first student returns in September .

“These people really are the unsung heroes of the school department. When the last bell rings and the students drop out for the summer, these people go into high gear, ”said Glen O’Keefe, administrator for the Sooke School District.

“And when they’re done, these schools will have a new life … cleaned from top to bottom.”

RELATED: Back to School Soon

In the children’s classic Mary Poppins, the wanderer Bert describes his role as chimney sweep as seen by many as the lowest level of life. He dispels this characterization by speaking (or rather singing) about how the Sweeps take pride in their work and appreciate the invisible elements of the job.

The life of school administrators is something like that.

Note that during the school year, each administrator is responsible for an average of 25,000 square feet of floors per eight-hour shift. That corresponds to about 10 houses.

And they can do a lot more than just sweep, wash and wax. You are responsible for the general maintenance and cleaning of the entire room. If you’ve cleaned up after a single child, imagine multiplying that by several hundred and you get an idea of ​​what to expect.

“I really appreciate my work. We do this for the kids. The way I see it, children are beautiful and without them there would be no point in life, ”said Vince Talman, the senior administrator of the primary school in Sassenos.

“I am very proud of my work.”

He values ​​the contact he has with the children and staff as well as the public who use the school. He said that these contacts give a lot of meaning to the job at hand and can inspire him to do his best job every day.

“During the summer they have a chance to thoroughly clean the 27 schools in the district, and I can tell you these people are amazing,” said O’Keefe. “We have some real rock stars.”

He added that the work of an administrator has become more complex than in the past.

“It’s not just about sweeping and mopping. They need to know how to handle the equipment, mix chemicals, and be aware of all health and safety issues related to their job. “

He said during the school year the 63 full-time administrators and 15 support staff work mostly in the evenings, but that doesn’t mean they don’t meet the community.

“Schools have become community centers these days and are used late into the night. And students have lots of activities after school too, ”said O’Keefe.

“So there is a real personal side of the job where you are also in contact with the community.”

He acknowledged that many school administrators make friends with students and others, and that it is not uncommon for them to receive letters of appreciation or even small gifts from students at the end of the school year.

“I love to see that,” said O’Keefe. “It says a lot about the people who do this work for us. They care about the schools and the people in them, and it shows. “

mailto: tim.collins@sookenewsmirror.com
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The work of a custodian has become more complex as security protocols and the use of various chemicals and methods have increased. Vince Talman checks the chemical supply at Saseenos Elementary School. (Tim Collins / Sooke News Mirror)

The custodian banks Ray Lasell and Angela Winteler give their summer school cleaning tasks a little fancy footwork. (Contributed)

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