Proposed law aims to protect janitors

Boston Globe ^ | 01/07/05 | Janette Neuwahl

[Pikamax]

Proposed law aims to protect janitors By Janette Neuwahl, Globe Correspondent | January 7, 2005

Margarita Restrepo's husband lost his job as a janitor when the business where he worked changed hands and decided it wanted a different company to vacuum the floors and empty the trash. With just one hour's warning, he lost his job, his health insurance, and was left without any job prospects.

''I am one person among many, many people who now need health insurance due to a change in contractor," she told legislators yesterday through a translator.

State lawmakers unveiled legislation yesterday that would require companies that change hands to keep janitors from the building's existing cleaning company for 90 days, instead of immediately bringing in a new custodial crew.

The bill is designed to protect workers from a sudden loss of insurance and a job, a problem that is growing as outsourcing cleaning crews becomes common practice for businesses. The current atmosphere, advocates say, leaves many of the 55,820 janitors in Massachusetts, who make an average wage of $11.80 per hour, uneasy about their jobs.

''This is a bad characteristic of the way the labor market works for janitors," said state Representative Patricia D. Jehlen, a Somerville Democrat who is one of the bill's lead sponsors.

[prion]

''I am one person among many, many people who now need health insurance due to a change in contractor," she told legislators yesterday through a translator.

Hm. Perhaps if she didn't need a translator, she might have better job prospects.

[mtbopfuyn]

With just one hour's warning, he lost his job, his health insurance, and was left without any job prospects.

Welcome to American, dude. That's ok, now they can apply for welfare. BTW, most insurance companies will carry folks for a few months after a job loss.

[handy old one]

Is this bill just for the support of foreign janitors. Or will it help other people have a longer time to adjust to losing their job.

[JustAnotherSavage]

" Or will it help other people have a longer time to adjust to losing their job."

Like jobs that are lost to illegal aliens?

---

As Lisa Sylvester reported here last night, an astonishing new study that found as many as 20 million illegal aliens in this country, and Senator Salazar and I discussed that. That report also found these millions are now an established part of an underground economy that is approaching $1 trillion. My guest tonight, a co-author of the study, Bob Justich, a senior managing director of Bear Stearns and joins us now.

First, why a Wall Street firm doing a study on illegal aliens.

BOB JUSTICH, BEAR STEARNS: Well, Lou, we look at employment numbers every month. And we get excited if they're off by 100,000. Imagine the implications of payroll numbers or the total numbers, cumulative numbers being off by the millions.

DOBBS: The idea that 20 million live here, I mean, that is a number -- that's the highest number that I've seen suggested by anyone. You did that by trying to reconcile a number of other data points, if you will, with the Census Bureau. The Bureau has to be wildly off.

JUSTICH: Right. Well, it's common perception that the census process is very difficult. There was a recent study out of the University of London citing all the problems with a lot of census processes. We looked at a lot of bottom-up data, uses of services, school enrollment, housing permits, and we think there's a lot more data out there that would support this notion.

DOBBS: Why would you have to go out to get this? Why isn't the United States government, that has the responsibility to do so, why isn't it coming up with the labor information, the statistical information, and speaking candidly and straightforwardly with the American people about the size mentioned, the magnitude of this problem?

JUSTICH: Well, Lou, that's a very good question. And I don't know if it's a conspiracy or if it is just the fact that government lags reality, which is quite normal.

DOBBS: I think that's a wonderful way to say it. Government lagging reality. But even governments should notice that 3 million people cross our borders illegally each year, don't you think?

JUSTICH: Well, the irony, we've talked to close to 100 immigrants and small business owners, and it's almost as if everybody in other countries knows the magnitude of it except for us.

DOBBS: And with that in context, you suggest that illegal aliens are a bigger part of the problem than outsourcing, for example, in terms of job creation and employment. Now, today, we got the news, a surprise upsurge in the number of claims for new benefits for unemployment, surged by 40,000. Estimating the number of outsourced jobs at about 400,000 for last year to cheap foreign labor markets. What do you mean when you say it's bigger?

JUSTICH: Well, Lou, it's no secret that people come to this country for work. And an astonishing statistic is that 96 percent of undocumented workers participate in the labor force. An incredible amount. They're coming here for a very good reason, and they're coming here because there are jobs available to them. And they're being given jobs that are -- that they're making good money at.


JUSTICH: The policy solution is they'd better get a handle on the right number first before they make recommendations. You cannot just take a population the size of New York state and ask everybody to leave Monday morning. So better get closer to the right number, and there's been some tremendous benefits from this surge. The housing market, for example, has surged because of the population surge.

DOBBS: Absolutely. Good to have you with us.

JUSTICH: Thank you very much.

www.cnn.com/lou/transcripts

[pabianice]

Why shouldn't this proposal be extended to ALL jobs, you Globe elitist *ssh*l*s? Oh. I forgot. You Starbucks Marxists and Trust Babies never have to worry about jobs, do you...?

[SteamShovel]

With just one hour's warning, he lost his job, his health insurance, and was left without any job prospects.

Why are these people worried about janitors? When a contract is lost, lots of people lose their jobs in a matter of hours or seconds, not just janitors. That's the way the economy works. That's what contracting is like. When it quits snowing, the neighborhood kid loses his sidewalk shoveling jobs. Life goes on.

[pharmamom]

That's the way the economy works. That's what contracting is like.

Except these socialists don't want a free market economy. They want the state to control every aspect of employment and compensation. Guarantee a job; guarantee a certain wage; guarantee benefits. This sort of thinking (or not, as the case may be) makes my head feel like it is going to explode.

[SALChamps03]

When jobs in your industry are likely to be cut, it isn't time to sit on your duff and pray for some magic miracle to preserve your job. It is time to go out and acquire new job skills that are valued by employers in many industries. The job belongs to the employer. The employee is selling his or her labor for a negotiated price. The employer may choose to buy labor from someone else in order to get more value for the money he spends. Do not look to government to preserve your jobs. It is not the responsibility of the government to ensure that you have employment or insurance. It is your responsibility to possess skills that are in demand, in order to put food on the table.

[JustAnotherSavage]

ping

[Paleo Conservative]

Gee. It's not like he couldn't find work at a janitorial service company. Most buildings are now outsourcing their janitorial work.

[Little Bill]

Felix Arroyo is a Communist City Councilor, the SEIU in Boston is a Communist Union, he and Chucky Turner came up with the GI rape thing, along with the local Black Muslim Minister, lifted from porno films, reported as fact by the Globe.

[speekinout]

keep janitors from the building's existing cleaning company for 90 days, instead of immediately bringing in a new custodial crew.

Isn't 2 week's notice fairly standard in this country? In my work life, I've seen many people dismissed on the spot, with a check for 2 week's pay.
If a janitor can't find a new job in 14 days, he's not likely to find one in 90.