Teamsters Local 727 Applauds A&R Janitorial
Teamsters Local 727 would like to show our appreciation to the management team at A&R Janitorial, the first company (of what will hopefully be many) to be approved for funding under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a provision of the recently passed Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The PPP, signed into law along with the CARES Act on March 27 of this year, was created to incentivize small businesses to keep their entire workforce employed during the COVID-19 crisis. Participation in this program ensures that each qualifying company will receive up to eight weeks of payroll assistance in the form of a federally backed loan that must exclusively used for purposes permitted under the Act (including wages and benefits of employees). In order for the loan to be completely forgiven the company must only use the money for the permitted purposes and maintain its normal staffing levels and regular wages (based on the previous one-year period) and use at least 75% of the funds for payroll costs.
Approval for this program came as a great relief to A&R Janitorial and the seventeen (17) Local 727 members employed in various parking garages throughout Chicago who found themselves with decreased hours or no hours at all at the onset of the pandemic/ While A&R’s custodial employees at O’Hare and Midway Airports have not seen a decrease in hours, many of the other locations that these employees report to each day allegedly chose to cancel their contracts with A&R and showed no concern for the hardworking men and women who were directly affected by these decisions.
A&R Janitorial, a family-owned company which was founded in 1967 and is based out of Westchester, kept all seventeen (17) effected employees on payroll, until they learned that they had been approved for the program. Now, under the provisions of the loan, A&R Janitorial employees’ wages and benefits – including health care – are guaranteed through June 5.
“A&R Janitorial was faced with a choice, and they made the right decision by keeping members employed during this entire time. Not only is furloughing the members a violation of the contract but it’s a morally bankrupt decision. A&R picked people over profit, and for that, we applaud them,” said John Coli Jr, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 727.
“The Union expects all companies to show this kind of loyalty to their employees in the weeks to come and we will accept nothing less. If these parking companies won’t follow A&R’s lead and do it because it’s the right thing to do by their employees, we will hold them accountable to the law and the collective bargaining agreement,” added Coli.
Any questions should be directed to Business Agent Melissa Senatore at 847-696-7500.
Nothing in this article should be read as the union’s waiver of any legal argument, position or grievance(s), or as a waiver of any rights, arguments, or defenses under any contract, collective bargaining agreement, or applicable law. The union does not forfeit its right to make any and all supplemental arguments.
Category: PARKING
