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As the nation rallies against terrorism, distributors and manufacturers in the cleaning supply and paper industry have stepped forward as well. Millions of dollars in relief have gone to families, hospitals and disaster site workers. And along with financial aid, there is newfound patriotic fervor in the aftermath of the tragedies.

But what does a company do when the federal government calls away one of its valued employees to serve in defending the country?

The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) is a federal law that ensures job security for military personnel. Enacted in 1994 by former President Clinton, it states that companies that employ reservists in any of the military branches must guarantee job protection.

Ron Bundick, a staff sergeant for the U.S. Army Reserves, is an information services specialist at Waxie Sanitary Supply, San Diego, Calif. He was called away for special training days after the terrorist attacks.

“There’s always the fear of the unknown, but it’s a great feeling to know that your employer and fellow employees are behind you,” he says.

Bundick says that it was a relief not having to think about job security when faced with the prospect of fighting for his country.

“The company supported me 110 percent. The president, Charles Wax, spoke to me personally and told me not to worry about the job. He said, ‘Ron, go do what you need to do,’” Bundick adds.

Fritz Gast, president of P.B. Gast and Sons, Grand Rapids, Mich., has three employees who are reservists in different branches of the U.S. military: one in the Army, one in the Navy and one in the Coast Guard.

“The two in the Army and the Coast Guard have been notified to be ready for action,” says Gast. “Everyone in the company is doing their part to make the transition go smoothly.”

While these examples show the industry’s national loyalty, distributors that have reservists as employees are actually required to guarantee workers their jobs or equal jobs when they return from service. Therefore, business owners have to be educated about the law.

Kathleen Silberman, director of human resources at Waxie, made sure that she did her homework before making a decision about how the company would handle Bundick’s absence.

“My area is human resources and sometimes these laws are complicated even for me,” she explains. “But we researched the USERRA and found that it is pretty straightforward.”

The USERRA includes five requirements that employees must meet to ensure they retain their position in a company, regardless of their absence due to military duty:

1. They must have held a civilian job;
   
   
2. The person must have given notice to the employer that he or she was leaving the job for service in the uniformed services unless giving notice is precluded by military necessity or otherwise impossible or unreasonable;
   
   
3. The period of service must not have exceeded five years;
   
   
4. The person must not have been released from service under dishonorable or other punitive conditions;
   
   
5. The person must have reported back to the civilian job in a timely manner or have submitted a timely application for reemployment.

“We, as the employer, need to be provided with documentation from the employee,” says Silberman. “We provide them with reassurance that their job will be there when they return and we walk through the procedures together.”

When Bundick was called away from work just a week after the devastating attacks, it was to go through debriefing and to get a physical examination. He is now back at Waxie and is awaiting the call to service.

“He’s back working until he’s called again,” says Silberman. “We didn’t need to hire a replacement, because everyone chipped in and did extra work. It hasn’t really affected our operations at Waxie at all.”

Being a larger company with various resources, Waxie is able to handle the impact of losing an employee for lengths of time. However, smaller companies often have a more difficult time when they lose skilled employees.

Silberman explains that temporary hiring is one option that can help small business owners cope with the loss of employees, but that each distributor needs to decide what the best options are for that particular company.

Gast says that depending on what department an employee is leaving, the effects on the company can vary greatly. “I have to think that if the reservist is a specialist, like an IT person or a truck operator, the employer isn’t going to have a lot of backup on hand,” he says.

Silberman says that when Bundick is called away for an extended period of time, his position will need to be filled by a full-time specialist. However, upon his return the company is obligated to provide the same job or an equivalent job for him, assuming he meets the requirements.

Distributors and manufacturers that have employees who may be called away to active duty can find information at USERRA.

— Alex Runner

Record checks, increased security for shippers, carriers

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has begun an extensive records check on all truck drivers licensed to carry powerful chemicals or hazardous materials, along with new increases in the security of chemical shipments.

“I can report to you that our investigation has uncovered several individuals who fraudulently have obtained or attempted to obtain hazardous material transportation licenses,” Attorney General John Ashcroft stated recently before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

In the Washington area, distributors are now required to have two employees remain with trucks carrying chemicals at all times, according to Lynne Kirsner, CEO of the Fitch Co. in Baltimore. “All our service vehicles and our delivery vehicles need to have two drivers now,” she says. “It’s difficult because the government seems to be changing the rules on a daily basis.”

Bill Balek, legislative director for the International Sanitary Supply Association, says that the jan/san industry is working to achieve compliance with new federal restrictions, but that the central issue is “how we legally define hazardous materials.”

News Makers

CPAC Inc., Liecester, N.Y., announced that its Fuller Brush division has entered into an agreement with TMB Products, St. Louis, a manufacturer and distributor of injection molded brooms and brushes, to become the exclusive U.S. manufacturer of TMB’s Yellowtop Brushware products.

The F.W. Dodge Division of The McGraw-Hill Cos., New York, reports that at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $468.8 billion, contracting for new construction did not decrease from late August to late September, despite the tragedies of September 11. Moderate improvement was reported for nonresidential building, in contrast to reduced contracting for housing.

Munters Moisture Control Services, Glendale Heights, Ill., has completed a project to clean the air in two New York City office buildings damaged by the collapse of the World Trade Center towers. Located at 111 and 115 Broadway, just one block from “ground zero,” the Trinity Buildings were covered in smoke, dust and debris but have now been thoroughly cleaned.

OMNOVA Solutions Inc., Fairlawn, Ohio, has reported earnings of $0.06 per diluted share for the third quarter of 2001, compared to earnings of $0.01 per diluted share during the third quarter of 2000.

Three carpet care machines made by Pacific Steamex, Muskegon, Mich., have been selected to the Approved Equipment List for carpet care by C&A Floorcoverings, the manufacturer of Powerbond commercial grade floor coverings Dalton, Ga.

Mergers & Acquisitions

Mitch Murch’s Maintenance Management Co. (MMMM), St. Louis, has purchased Mid-America Pro Clean (MAPC), Kansas City, announced Tim Murch, president of MMMM. Industry veteran Dan Cline sold MAPC as MMMM is celebrating its 23rd anniversary and will now have an increased sales volume of more than $32 million.

Supply King Inc., Neptune City, N.J., announced the acquisition of Total Janitorial Supply Co., Linden, N.J. The combination will operate out of Supply King’s facility in Neptune City and will become the largest independent distributor of janitorial equipment and supplies in the state. Supply King was founded in 1981 and services New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

Network Services Co., Mount Prospect, Ill., recently announced that Foley Distributing, Rutland, Vt., has joined Network. Founded in 1973, Foley serves customers in Vermont, New Hampshire and northeastern New York for janitorial, food service and industrial accounts. Network serves 750,000 end-user locations from over 390 distribution sites in North America.

Regulatory News

International Paper, Pittsburg, N.H., and the Trust for Public Land (TPL) have agreed to protect about 171,500 acres in Pittsburg, Clarksville, and Stewartstown, an area known as the Connecticut Lakes property.

TPL, a national nonprofit organization, is proposing to purchase the property from International Paper by December 31, 2001. The purchase price will be determined by an independent appraisal this fall, and TPL plans to hold the property off the market while the Connecticut Lakes Headwaters Partnership Task Force works to develop a plan for the land’s future.

“These forests have long provided an economic basis for this region,” said Dave Lieser, International Paper’s regional manager for northern operations.

The Connecticut Lakes property is the largest contiguous block of New Hampshire land in private ownership and is the foundation of the local economy, providing both timber related jobs and a popular tourist destination. It also surrounds three of the Connecticut River’s four headwater lakes and provides habitat for at least 20 rare wildlife species throughout the region.