Cintas workers and allies rallied to save the jobs of two union supporters. I know this is cheating to just post the press release, but I wanted people to know what's going on.
After the unjust firing of two Cintas employees, workers, students and community allies rallied outside of the company’s Bedford Park laundry today to demand that Cintas reinstate the dismissed workers. Maria Ramirez and Norma Fileta, both supporters of an ongoing effort to form a union, were terminated after asking management for assistance in meeting high, strict production goals.
"I was doing the job of two people, and needed help," said Ms. Ramirez, who worked at Cintas for 12 years and hung 1,688 pants a shift. ". . . I think they pressured me more because I supported the union."
Cintas has laid off nine percent of its workforce nationwide, and workers say that layoffs in Bedford Park have increased production pressure in the laundry.
Conflicts between safety concerns and production pressures can create hazards on the job. OSHA cited the Chicago-area facility for "serious" safety violations last year after workers filed a complaint. Cintas has agreed to pay nearly $3 million to settle that citation and several dozen others nationwide—including citations triggered by the death of an Oklahoma worker. Workers from Cintas in Bedford Park have visited Congress to tell about conditions inside the laundry. Last March, the Coalition of Injured Cintas Workers was launched in front of the laundry.
"Cintas should not be able to treat workers like they are disposable. The workers fired this week have dedicated years of their lives to making this company successful, and Cintas should ensure they have safe jobs, not fire them," said Tim Bell of the Chicago Workers Collaborative.
During the rally, workers in the plant delivered a petition to managers in support of their fired coworkers.
