Janitors Could Be Laid Off Amid Building Closures

Building service contractors and facility managers across the country have experienced an uptick in demand for their services due to the spread of COVID-19. However, it's now becoming more common to see a sharp decrease in cleaning demand as more and more employees work from home instead of the office.

The lack of work has gotten so bad for some of these businesses in Baltimore that they're now no longer receiving increased demand or worse, reports Baltimore Business Journal.

Daquay Mason was working some 20 hours a week cleaning the very offices where employees who later tested positive for COVID-19 had worked. However, as these offices decide to let their employees work from home, Mason's services are less necessary. She now fears that her employer could join a growing trend and lay her off.

A number of cleaning companies tell the Baltimore Business Journal that their clients are either asking them to scale back their cleaning efforts or ending their business relationship all together.

Leadership at the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore-area offices of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) say layoffs of janitorial staff will soon begin with that work no longer needed.

Baltimore City Council President Brandon Scott and Montgomery County Maryland County Executive Marc Elrich are asking that janitorial workers continue to be employed. 

It's certainly possible that's what is happening in Baltimore will soon begin plaguing janitors throughout the country.