The COVID-19 Cleaning Handbook:

How Irresponsible Contracting Endangers

Office Janitors and Building Tenants

August 2020
 The Owner’s Role in
Irresponsible Contracting

While janitors continue to risk their lives in Miami, tenants such as yourself con-
tinue to pay premium rental rates for office space. Research shows that South Florida
is a national hotspot for inequality in the commercial real estate industry.2 No major
metro area in the country pays its janitors less than Miami, when accounting for
cost of living.3 Simultaneously, in 2019, Miami was the 12th most valuable office real
estate market in the United States, with higher office rents than Chicago, Philadel-
phia, or Pittsburgh, despite these markets offering higher wages for office janitors.4

Commercial Office Rental Rates Compared to Janitor Wages (2019)

$50

$45 $44.21
$40

$35 $34.75

$30
$30.22

$25 $23.70
$20 $18.59 $18.07
$15 $14.70

$10 $8.50
$5

$0

Central Business Central Business Central Business Central Business

District Miami District Philadelphia District Pittsburgh District Baltimore

Average Asking Lease Rate Most Common Hourly Union Wage Estimated Survey Wage

Miami’s irresponsible contracting is not a foregone con- fact, some of Miami’s wealthiest office buildings are using
clusion. Building owners have the power to address Mi- irresponsible cleaning contractors.
ami’s miserable office cleaning standards.5 In an industry
The map below details some of Miami’s hotspots for ir-
like janitorial services, contractors face low barriers to
responsible cleaning. Many janitors at these buildings are
market entry and pay a high percentage of labor costs rel-
suffering from poverty wages, no meaningful benefits, and
ative to their overall expenses. These dynamics encourage
low cleaning standards, limiting the possibility for effective
some contractors to get ahead by reducing labor costs as
cleaning against COVID-19. However, janitors in Miami are
much as possible. This includes converting full-time em-
refusing to back down from the fight against COVID-19 and
ployees to part-time, committing wage theft, and reducing
irresponsible contracting. Some janitors have taken it upon
costs associated with job training, safety, and basic hygienic
themselves to bring in cleaning supplies to the workplace,
standards. Historically, building owners are motivated to
while protecting themselves with their own PPE.
choose rock-bottom contractors over adequate working
conditions—leaving the janitorial industry ill-equipped in But their efforts are not enough to secure responsible
the fight against COVID-19.6 contracting in your building. Janitors across South Florida
are now organizing a union in order to improve their working
Perhaps most frustrating about this fact is how small of
conditions. As COVID-19 continues to spread, janitors must
the cost it would take for office landlords to address the
rely on themselves as they work to clean and disinfect your
problem. In Miami-Dade, an estimated 1.6% increase in rent-
office. If you and your coworkers hope to return to a clean,
al rates could provide janitors with a $15 minimum wage,
hygienic environment, the owner of your building must
fully paid employer healthcare, and five days of paid time
address irresponsible contracting for janitorial services.
off per year, assuming all costs are passed onto tenants.7 In

2 The COVID-19 Cleaning Handbook

 Hotspots for Irresponsible Contracting

Building Name The Alhambra Miami Tower 2&3 Miami Central

Cleaning
Coastal Building Maintenance SFM Services Greene Kleen of South Florida
Contractor

700 NW 1st Ave/161 NW 6th Street,

Address 2 Alhambra Plaza, Coral Gables FL 100 SE 2nd Street, Miami FL
Miami FL

Purchase Price $118,554,700 (2015)8 $220,000,000 (2016)10 $159,400,000 (2019)12

Controlling
Entity of Office DWS Group GmbH & Co. KGaA Sumitomo Corporation Shorenstein Realty Services
Building

Company Mainzer Landstr. 11-17 Frankfurt am Main 3-2 Otemachi 2-Chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 235 Montgomery Street, 16th Floor,
Headquarters 60329, Germany 100-8601, Japan San Francisco, CA

Shorenstein Profits13:
Company DWS Group Profits (2019)9: Sumitomo Profits (2019)11:
Unknown (Estimated $8,700,000,000
Profits €512,000,000 ($603,015,680) ¥220,000,000,000 ($2,077,058,720)
in assets under management in 2020)
Wages for
Janitors as $8.56 $9.00 $8.56
Little as
Paid Sick Days,
as Reported by 0 0 0
Multiple Janitors

Janitors at 2 Alhambra report that be-
tween 7-12 janitors have recently contract-
ed COVID-19. The janitors found out from
each other that they were ill, as the clean-
Highlighted ing contractor Coastal Building Maintenance
Irresponsible did not inform employees of the outbreak
behavior among staff. Janitors at 2 Alhambra report
that they have not been trained on how to
handle COVID-19. Sufficient personal pro-
tective equipment (PPE) was not provided
early on in the pandemic.
During the pandemic, the cleaning contrac-
tor SFM Services fumigated the building in
the middle of the janitors’ shift without
warning. As a result, janitors began to ex-
perience serious side effects such as short-
ness of breath and difficulty breathing. To
quote one janitor: “My throat started to
close and it was becoming hard to breathe.
I felt dizzy. I thought to myself: I am going
to pass out. I was afraid because I didn’t
have my phone with me, and that there
wasn’t going to be any way to call some-
one. I was afraid for my life.”
At the beginning of the pandemic, janitors
reported cleaning only with water, using
dirty mops and rags, receiving zero social
distancing protocols, and were not given
masks. Only after janitors started sewing
masks for themselves and advocating for
higher cleaning standards did the contrac-
tor address the low cleaning standards in
the building. Afterwards, a janitor who led
this effort began receiving harsher treat-
ment from her supervisor, and was fired a
few weeks later, after using a microwave
to make popcorn she had brought in.

How Irresponsible Contracting Endangers Office Janitors and Building Tenants 3

 COVID-19, Infectious Disease,
and the Importance of Cleaning

The cleaning standards in your
building could be the difference
between a positive and a negative
COVID-19 diagnosis.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO),
there are three main routes of possible transmission of
the COVID-19 virus: direct transmission, airborne trans-
mission, and indirect (or fomite) transmission.14 Direct
transmission occurs through direct contact with infected
secretions from an infected person, such as saliva, and is
the most heavily studied and accepted form of transmission.
Airborne transmission occurs through the inhalation of tiny
droplets called aerosols, particularly in indoor settings with
poor ventilation. Finally, indirect transmission, also known
as fomite transmission, occurs through touching contaminat-
ed surfaces, followed by touching the mouth, nose, or eyes.
In combatting the spread of COVID-19, responsible con-
tracting standards have a role to play in all three of these
areas. Implementation of social distancing measures among
cleaning staff, adequate paid sick leave, and the proper
provision of PPE—particularly masks—can reduce the risk of
infection for both direct and airborne transmission. But the
role of janitors as defenders of public health is most import-
ant in the reduction of indirect transmission.
Visual inspection does not provide a reliable assessment
of the cleaning standards in your building.15 Imperceptible
to the human eye, COVID-19 can live on a surface for up to
3 days, while other viruses can live on surfaces for even
longer.16 Herpes viruses have been shown to persist on sur-
faces for up to 7 days.17 Blood-borne viruses such as HIV can
persist for more than one week. Viruses from the gastroin-
testinal tract persist for approximately 2 months.
Viral transmission can occur rapidly in an office build-
ing via high touch surfaces. Individuals spend approximate-
ly 91% of their time in an office touching surfaces.18 Using
a viral tracer to mimic the spread of disease, one study
showed that 6 hours of workday activity resulted in the
contamination of every commonly touched communal and
personal work area, including coffee pots, microwaves, and
copy machines.19 In a study of 328 common surfaces from 12
different office buildings across five cities, 37% of the sam-
ples tested were positive for HPIV1 (parainfluenza).20 With-
out properly addressing the surfaces in your building, the
risk of exposure to COVID-19 and other viruses will remain at
an elevated level.

Contaminated Surface

Direct contact between Direct contact between

Tenant and Janitor Tenant and Janitor

Infected Office Janitor Susceptible

Tenant Tenant

Contaminated Air

Direct contact between Tenants

Figure 1: Possible Transmission in an Office Setting

4 The COVID-19 Cleaning Handbook

 Reducing the spread of disease on surfaces requires fre-
quent, effective cleaning, and in some instances disinfec-
tion. Among hospitals, extensive research has established
the connection between cleaning staff and the reduction
in the spread of hospital acquired infections.21 The intro-
duction of one additional cleaner in two hospital wards was
associated with a 33% reduction in contamination at hand-
touch sites.22 Improved cleaning practices in hospitals are
associated with a 40% decrease in transmission of common
infections.23 As a result, hospitals that have cut back on
cleaning costs have lower levels of cleanliness and worse
health-care outcomes.24 To quote one study, “a high stan-
dard of hygiene should be an absolute requirement… In
the long term, cost-cutting on cleaning services is neither
cost-effective nor common sense.”25

In order to combat COVID-19, both the CDC and WHO

have released cleaning guidelines for office settings, which
include the implementation of disinfectants and increased
frequency for cleaning high touch areas. In one study, surface
disinfecting paired with improved hand hygiene reduced the
spread of influenza in an office building by 88%, indicating
that cleaning can have a significant impact on improving the
Lorena Cortez made masks at home
health of workers in communal offices.26 with her mother for her co-workers
Clearly, cleaning staff play an important role in reducing when her employer, Greene Kleen, did
the spread of COVID-19 in your building. Unfortunately, the not provide sufficient masks this spring.
Miami office market is plagued with irresponsible cleaning
contractors, resulting in an office-cleaning crisis.

A Janitor’s Welfare is your Welfare

Contrary to common misconceptions, effective, consis-
tent cleaning and disinfecting of office buildings is not an
easy task.27 Cleaning your office building demands proper
training, physically strenuous activity, and concern for de-
tail, all while working under time constraints. A study of
cleaning practices across 23 hospitals found that only 49%
of surfaces were properly cleaned, and highlighted invest-
ment in cleaning staff as a means for improving cleaning
standards.28
From March 2020-July 2020, 63 janitors across 24 major
office buildings in Miami were interviewed on the cleaning
standards in their buildings, alongside an additional series
of follow-up interviews.29 Amidst a global pandemic, jan-
itors are telling a story of miserable wages and benefits,
alarming health and safety standards, and little respect
for their work that may save lives.
Whether your office building upholds responsible stan-
dards depends on staffing levels, adequate cleaning equip-
ment and supplies, proper training, wage rates, health
benefits, and respect from management. Related to these
criteria, office janitors in Miami have reported serious de-
ficiencies before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The
table below summarizes these problems and compares them

How Irresponsible Contracting Endangers Office Janitors and Building Tenants 5

 Cleaning Contracting in the Commercial Office Industry
Responsible Standard
Janitors are provided with ample time for cleaning.
Staffing levels are increased to allow for additional
STAFFING
cleaning.
Janitors receive short breaks to increase frequen-
cy with which they can wash hands with soap and
water.
Janitors who call in sick are replaced.
EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES
Janitors receive adequate and a sufficient amount
of equipment and supplies, including masks,
gloves, and other supplies.
Janitors are provided with EPA-approved cleaners
and disinfectants for COVID-19, and safety guide-
lines for chemicals are strictly followed.
Routine cleaning is implemented for high touch
surfaces.
Janitors receive training on use of chemicals and
other potential health and safety hazards.
Janitors are trained on cleaning high touch areas
TRAINING
and basic principles of viral transmission in the of-
fice setting, and contractors develop an infectious
disease prevention plan.
Social distancing measures are implemented
among staff.
WAGES
Janitors earn a living wage.
BENEFITS
Janitors earn healthcare and paid sick leave.
Janitors are treated with respect.
RESPECT
Janitors’ health and safety is a priority for clean-
ing contractors.
6 The COVID-19 Cleaning Handbook
The Miami Standard
Some janitors reported chronic understaffing in
their building, sometimes resulting in uncleaned
bathrooms and floors.
Some buildings have not replaced workers when
they call in sick.
Some janitors have not received masks at some
point during the entire pandemic.
Some janitors have received a limited amount of
disposable gloves or gloves that break easily.
Some janitors have had to use dirty rags and mops,
and some janitors have cleaned them themselves.
Cleaning agents were not always used to clean;
instead some janitors reported cleaning with only
water at the beginning of the pandemic.
Some janitors have not received training on use of
hazardous chemicals.
Social distance measures aren’t always imple-
mented among staff.
Janitors make near minimum wage.
Many janitors do not receive meaningful health-
care or paid sick benefits.
Some janitors have not been informed of COVID-19
cases among staff or tenants in their building.
Some janitors reported fear of intimidation for
speaking up about low cleaning standards and
working conditions.
 The Miami Office Standard

Chronic Understaffing

Chronic understaffing is often Inadequate Supplies

cited as a prime example of irre-
sponsible contracting, resulting in
inadequate cleaning procedures. In
one study, 60% of contracted hospi-
tal cleaning staff report not having
enough time to finish their assigned
tasks.30 Within the last few months
in Miami, some janitors reported
chronic understaffing in their building, sometimes result-
ing in uncleaned bathrooms and floors. “We have to rush
through the cleaning process,” states Esperanza, a janitor at
255 Alhambra. “There is too much work and sometimes the
bathrooms are not finished.”
In some cases, janitors have not been replaced when
staff called in sick, resulting in heavier workloads and mak-
ing the building vulnerable to cleaning deficiencies during
high periods of illness. In June, a janitor at 2 Alhambra
had to cover for multiple co-workers who tested positive
for COVID-19: “The company has not announced anything
about the situation, I feel unprotected, at risk and exposed
to the virus. The work of the people who are out has been
distributed among those of us who remain. I am now doing
the work of two, and the entire personnel is about to come
back to the building,” She said.
and Equipment
Adequate equipment and sup-
plies, including personal protec-
tive equipment such as masks and
gloves, are an essential aspect of
responsible cleaning standards and
the fight against COVID-19.31 With-
out the necessary equipment and
supplies, janitors in your building
run the risk of spreading and catching COVID-19, while de-
creasing their ability to effectively disinfectant surfaces. In
Miami, 70% of office janitors haven’t received adequate
gloves or masks at some point during the pandemic.
Throughout the pandemic, some janitors have resorted to
buying masks themselves or sewing masks at home. Along
with dirty rags and mops, workers have shared stories of
taking matters into their own hands and bringing Clorox
and other cleaning supplies from home, as irresponsible
contractors have sometimes only used water to clean.

Inadequate Training

Responsible cleaning requires adequate training, such as the identification of high-touch areas and
proper information on handling hazardous chemicals. In hospital settings, increased investment in
cleaning staff training and technique is associated with an increase in cost-savings, due to reduction
in hospital infections.32 Among all occupations, janitors are in the top 84th percentile for exposure to
hazardous working conditions, making effective training an imperative for safe offices.33 Yet in Mi-
ami, 49% of janitors report that they haven’t received adequate training on how to use
cleaning materials. “We use new chemicals now since COVID-19,” said Elsa, a janitor in
Miami Tower. “There was no training on safety and no list of information about what
the products contained.”

Effective training also requires the implementation of social-distance measures during

work hours, which irresponsible contractors often fail to follow. “The company has not
given us training or information on how to handle the virus,” said Hilda. ”Only until
a week ago [from May 16] they started talking about social distancing, after almost
2 months.”

How Irresponsible Contracting Endangers Office Janitors and Building Tenants 7

Low Wages Contribute to High Job Turnover

Providing janitors with a living wage is an essential part of responsible contracting. Low wages
among janitors contributes to high job turnover and may reduce cleaning efficiency.34 In 2019, the
median wage for an office janitor in Miami was $8.50, just 4 cents above the minimum wage.35 In
Miami-Dade, over 1 in 5 workers in the building services industry were hired in the previous three
months, putting Miami janitors in the top 80th percentile for newly hired staff among all industries.36
Low wages for janitors in nursing homes has also been linked to higher incidents of health & safety
violations, such as tripping hazards and failure to maintain sanitary environments.37

Outside of your building, the struggle that janitors and their families face in order to meet basic needs is a
significant deterrent to safe cleaning. 87% of surveyed office janitors in Miami are struggling to pay for food,
water, rent, and other basic needs. 64% are working multiple jobs during COVID-19, which has been traced
to the spread of COVID-19 among staff at long-term care facilities.38 Many janitors are supporting their family
through the crisis, both at home and abroad. “I must work two jobs and run from one job to the other, arrive
home, and prepare food. The time left to me is very small for the rest of my activities”, said Jose Miguel. “Even
so, the money that I earn is barely sufficient to pay my bills and to be able to send money to my children that
are in Cuba, who also need my help.”

Lack of Healthcare and Paid Sick

Along with low wages, lack of meaningful healthcare and

Lack of Respect
paid-sick benefits produce negative health outcomes for jan- on the Job
itors, which in turn may affect the hygienic environment of
your building. On average, a janitor is exposed to disease or
Finally, high cleaning standards in
infections at least once a month at work.39 Without health
your office building are also contingent
insurance, janitors will inevitably work through illness and
on management’s treatment of work-
injury. As part of SEIU 32BJ’s survey, only a single janitor
ers. Workers’ ability to voice issues in
reported that their company offered a health insurance
the workplace without fear of retalia-
plan. In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, Martha Lo-
tion is typically limited. Compared to other occupations,
rena at Miami Central reported that she had to cancel her
female janitors face higher risks of workplace harassment
private health insurance because she could not afford it, and
and assault from management.43 “There’s a lot of issues in
her employer does not offer a plan. Elsa, a janitor at Miami
the industry,” said Jackeline, a janitor at Miami Central.
Tower, reported having to ration her insulin because she can-
“My coworkers are afraid to speak out, because they may be
not afford the cost. Workers without health insurance receive
fired, isolated, or asked to quit. When I arrived at [the com-
less preventive care and suffer from worse general health
pany] Greene Kleen, I was surprised that we only cleaned
outcomes and higher rates of premature death.40
with water, that our rags are so dirty. When I spoke up to
In addition to health insurance, studies show that ac- management, they told me that’s how things were done, and
cess to paid sick days for janitors could significantly re- if I didn’t like it then I could quit.” Rosario, a janitor in 2
duce the spread of illness in your building. Janitors who do Alhambra, was told that she would be fired if she spoke to
not have access to paid-sick leave are 1.5 times more like- anyone about the COVID-19 outbreak at her building. “[My
ly to go to work while sick, and more on-the-job accidents supervisor] said to me: The less you say the better. You don’t
are likely to occur.41 During the H1N1 have the right to divulge anything,” she recalls. “I said to
pandemic, 5 million incidents of flu- him then we all are going to die, because we don’t have
like illness were attributed to lack of any protection.”
paid-sick days.42 In Miami, 0% of sur-
Since the onset of the pandemic, janitors have also been
vey respondents reported receiving
among the last notified of COVID-19 outbreaks among build-
paid sick days from their employer.
ing occupants.44 48% of janitors report not feeling safe at
In one instance, between 7-12 work-
work. “I’m worried about my safety”, said Mayra. “There
ers tested positive for COVID-19 at a
was a [COVID-19] contamination on some of the floors and
single office building in which workers
they didn’t inform us.”
reported receiving zero paid sick days.

8 The COVID-19 Cleaning Handbook

 Conclusion

For too long, irresponsible contractors have plagued

Miami’s office market. Chronic understaffing, inadequate
supplies and equipment, inadequate training, poverty
wages, lack of benefits, and lack of respect on the job for
janitors is hurting Miami’s ability to respond to COVID-19.
When building owners fail to address these features of ir-
responsible contracting, your health is put at risk. Support
the janitors in your building who are fighting to improve
their working conditions and the building’s cleaning stan-
dards. Their work is essential to your own safe return to
the office.

Endnotes
2 This section largely taken from: SEIU Local 32BJ, and UCLA Center
for Neighborhood Knowledge. “Sweeping in Change: South Florida
Janitors Unite for Responsibility in the Commercial Real Estate In-
dustry.” Miami, FL, November 2019.
3 Ibid.
4 Ibid.
5 For more information on the role of lead companies in setting
contracting standards, see Ruckelshaus, Catherine, Rebecca Smith,
Sarah Leberstein, and Eunice Cho. “Who’s The Boss: Restoring
Accountability for Labor Standards in Outsourced Work.” Nation-
al Employment Law Project, May 2014. https://www.nelp.org/
wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Whos-the-Boss-Restoring-Account-
ability-Labor-Standards-Outsourced-Work-Report.pdf.
6 Hinkley, S., Bernhardt, A., & Thomason, S. “Race to the Bottom:
How Low-Road Subcontracting Affects Working Conditions in Califor-
nia’s Property Services Industry”. UC Berkeley Labor Center. 2016.
7 SEIU Local 32BJ, and UCLA Center for Neighborhood Knowledge.
“Sweeping in Change: South Florida Janitors Unite for Responsibility
in the Commercial Real Estate Industry.” Miami, FL, November 2019.
8 “Property Search Application - Miami-Dade County.” Accessed
August 18, 2020. https://www.miamidade.gov/Apps/PA/property-
search/#/.
9 DWS KGaA. “DWS Annual Report,” 2019. https://group.dws.com/
ir/reports-and-events/annual-report/.
10 “Property Search Application - Miami-Dade County.” Accessed
August 18, 2020. https://www.miamidade.gov/Apps/PA/property-
search/#/.
11 Sumitomo Corporation. “Sumitomo Financial Highlights.” Ac-
cessed August 7, 2020. http://www.sumitomocorp.com/en/jp/ir/
financial/highlight/yr.
12 “Property Search Application - Miami-Dade County.” Accessed
August 18, 2020. https://www.miamidade.gov/Apps/PA/property-
search/#/.
13 Real Capital Analytics. “Shorenstein Investor Profile”. Accessed
August 7, 2020. https://www.rcanalytics.com/.
14 World Health Organization (WHO). “Transmission of SARS-CoV-2:
Implications for Infection Prevention Precautions.” Accessed Au-
gust 7, 2020. https://www.who.int/news-room/commentaries/de-
tail/transmission-of-sars-cov-2-implications-for-infection-preven-
tion-precautions.
15 Dancer, Stephanie J. “Importance of the Environment in Meticil-
lin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Acquisition: The Case for Hos-
pital Cleaning.” The Lancet. Infectious Diseases 8, no. 2 (February
2008): 101–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(07)70241-4.
16 Doremalen, Neeltje van, Trenton Bushmaker, Dylan H. Mor-
ris, Myndi G. Holbrook, Amandine Gamble, Brandi N. Williamson,
Azaibi Tamin, et al. “Aerosol and Surface Stability of SARS-CoV-2
as Compared with SARS-CoV-1.” New England Journal of Medicine
382, no. 16 (April 16, 2020): 1564–67. https://doi.org/10.1056/NE-
JMc2004973
17 Kramer, Axel, Ingeborg Schwebke, and Günter Kampf. “How
Long Do Nosocomial Pathogens Persist on Inanimate Surfaces? A Sys-
tematic Review.” BMC Infectious Diseases 6 (August 16, 2006): 130.
https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2334-6-130.
18 Zhang, Nan, and Yuguo Li. “Transmission of Influenza A in a Stu-
dent Office Based on Realistic Person-to-Person Contact and Surface
Touch Behaviour.” International Journal of Environmental Research
and Public Health 15, no. 8 (August 2018). https://doi.org/10.3390/
ijerph15081699.
19 Kurgat, Elkana K., Jonathan D. Sexton, Fernanda Garavito, Adri-
ana Reynolds, R. David Contreras, Charles P. Gerba, Rachel A. Leslie,
Sarah L. Edmonds-Wilson, and Kelly A. Reynolds. “Impact of a Hy-
giene Intervention on Virus Spread in an Office Building.” Interna-
tional Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health 222, no. 3 (April
1, 2019): 479–85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheh.2019.01.001.
20 Boone, Stephanie A., and Charles P. Gerba. “The Prevalence of
Human Parainfluenza Virus 1 on Indoor Office Fomites.” Food and
Environmental Virology 2, no. 1 (March 2010): 41–46. https://doi.
org/10.1007/s12560-010-9026-5.

How Irresponsible Contracting Endangers Office Janitors and Building Tenants 9

 21 Litwin, Adam Seth, Ariel C. Avgar, and Edmund R. Becker. “Super-
bugs versus Outsourced Cleaners: Employment Arrangements and
the Spread of Health Care–Associated Infections.” ILR Review, June
22, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1177/0019793916654482.
22 Dancer, Stephanie J., Liza F. White, Jim Lamb, E. Kirsty Girvan,
and Chris Robertson. “Measuring the Effect of Enhanced Cleaning
in a UK Hospital: A Prospective Cross-over Study.” BMC Medicine 7
(June 8, 2009): 28. https://doi.org/10.1186/1741-7015-7-28.
23 Carling, Philip C., and Judene M. Bartley. “Evaluating Hygienic
Cleaning in Health Care Settings: What You Do Not Know Can Harm
Your Patients.” American Journal of Infection Control 38, no. 5 Suppl
1 (June 2010): S41-50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2010.03.004.
24 Elkomy, Shimaa, Graham Cookson, and Simon Jones. “Cheap and
Dirty: The Effect of Contracting Out Cleaning on Efficiency and Ef-
fectiveness.” Public Administration Review 79, no. 2 (2019): 193–
202. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.13031.
25 Rampling, A., S. Wiseman, L. Davis, A. P. Hyett, A. N. Walbridge,
G. C. Payne, and A. J. Cornaby. “Evidence That Hospital Hygiene
Is Important in the Control of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus
Aureus.” Journal of Hospital Infection 49, no. 2 (October 1, 2001):
109–16. https://doi.org/10.1053/jhin.2001.1013.
26 Contreras, R. David, Amanda M. Wilson, Fernanda Garavito, Jon-
athan D. Sexton, Kelly A. Reynolds, and Robert A. Canales. “Assess-
ing Virus Infection Probability in an Office Setting Using Stochastic
Simulation.” Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
17, no. 1 (January 2, 2020): 30–37.
27 Dancer, Stephanie J. “Controlling Hospital-Acquired Infection:
Focus on the Role of the Environment and New Technologies for
Decontamination.” Clinical Microbiology Reviews 27, no. 4 (October
2014): 665–90. https://doi.org/10.1128/CMR.00020-14.
28 Carling, P. C., M. F. Parry, S. M. Von Beheren, and Healthcare
Environmental Hygiene Study Group. “Identifying Opportunities to
Enhance Environmental Cleaning in 23 Acute Care Hospitals.” In-
fection Control and Hospital Epidemiology 29, no. 1 (January 2008):
1–7. https://doi.org/10.1086/524329.
29 From mid-March until mid-July, SEIU 32BJ staff surveyed 63
janitors across 24 office buildings or corporate office parks above
100,000 SQ FT, via phone, and asked them a series of questions
about their workplace conditions. Responses were coded and sum-
marized by SEIU 32BJ.
30 Zuberi, Dan. Cleaning Up: How Hospital Outsourcing Is Hurting
Workers and Endangering Patients. Cornell University Press, 2013.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctt32b4jc.
31 Occupational Safety and Health Administration. “Safety and
Health Topics | COVID-19 - Control and Prevention.” Accessed Au-
gust 7, 2020. https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/covid-19/controlpreven-
tion.html.
32 White, Nicole M., Adrian G. Barnett, Lisa Hall, Brett G. Mitchell,
Alison Farrington, Kate Halton, David L. Paterson, et al. “Cost-Effec-
tiveness of an Environmental Cleaning Bundle for Reducing Health-
care-Associated Infections.” Clinical Infectious Diseases 70, no. 12
(June 10, 2020): 2461–68. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciz717.
33 O*Net Data. “Work Context: Exposed to Hazardous Conditions.”
Accessed August 7, 2020. https://www.onetonline.org/find/de-
scriptor/result/4.C.2.c.1.d?a=1.
34 “Coviello et al. - Productivity Evidence from a Large US Retailer.”
Accessed August 7, 2020. https://tintin.hec.ca/pages/decio.coviel-
lo/research_files/Draft_MinW.pdf.
10
35 SEIU Local 32BJ, and UCLA Center for Neighborhood Knowledge.
“Sweeping in Change: South Florida Janitors Unite for Responsibility
in the Commercial Real Estate Industry.” Miami, FL, November 2019.
36 U.S. Census Bureau. “LED Extraction Tool - Quarterly Workforce
Indicators (QWI).” Accessed August 7, 2020. https://ledextract.ces.
census.gov/static/data.html. Authors calculations for new hires
(HirN).
37 Ruffini, Krista. “Worker Earnings, Service Quality, and Firm
Profitability: Evidence from Nursing Homes and Minimum Wage
Reforms.” Center for Equitable Growth, Working Paper Se-
ries, June 2020, 96. https://equitablegrowth.org/wp-content/
uploads/2020/06/060420-WP-Worker-earnings-service-quali-
ty-and-firm-profitability-Ruffini.pdf.
38 McMichael, Temet M., Dustin W. Currie, Shauna Clark, Sargis
Pogosjans, Meagan Kay, Noah G. Schwartz, James Lewis, et al. “Ep-
idemiology of Covid-19 in a Long-Term Care Facility in King County,
Washington.” New England Journal of Medicine 382, no. 21 (May 21,
2020): 2005–11. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2005412.
39 O*Net Data. “Work Context: Exposed to Disease or Infections.”
Accessed August 7, 2020. https://www.onetonline.org/find/de-
scriptor/result/4.C.2.c.1.b?a=1.
40 Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on the Consequences of
Uninsurance. Effects of Health Insurance on Health. Care Without
Coverage: Too Little, Too Late. National Academies Press (US), 2002.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK220636/.
41 Smith, Tom, and Jibum Kim. “Paid Sick Days: A Basic Labor Stan-
dard for the 21st Century.” NORC/University of Chicago, n.d., 44;
Hawkins, Devan, and Junli Zhu. “Decline in the Rate of Occupational
Injuries and Illnesses Following the Implementation of a Paid Sick
Leave Law in Connecticut.” American Journal of Industrial Medicine
62, no. 10 (2019): 859–73.
42 Kumar, Supriya, Sandra Crouse Quinn, Kevin H. Kim, Laura H.
Daniel, and Vicki S. Freimuth. “The Impact of Workplace Policies
and Other Social Factors on Self-Reported Influenza-Like Illness Inci-
dence During the 2009 H1N1 Pandemic.” American Journal of Public
Health 102, no. 1 (January 2012): 134–40. https://doi.org/10.2105/
AJPH.2011.300307.
43 Institute for Women’s Policy Research. “Sexual Harassment and
Assault at Work: Understanding the Costs.” Accessed August 7, 2020.
https://iwpr.org/publications/sexual-harassment-work-cost/. For
more information on workplace harassment and assault among jan-
itorial workers, see Yragui, Nanette L, Patricia Pacheco, Deibi Sib-
rian, and Erica Chavez Santos. “Mistreatment of Janitorial Workers:
A Hidden Health and Safety Issue.” Washington State Department
of Labor & Industries, Safety & Health Assessment & Research for
Prevention (SHARP) Program, June 30, 2020.
44 Eligon, John, and Nellie Bowles. “They Clean the Buildings Work-
ers Are Fleeing. But Who’s Protecting Them? - The New York Times.”
The New York Times. Accessed August 7, 2020. https://www.ny-
times.com/2020/03/18/us/coronavirus-janitors-cleaners.html.
The COVID-19 Cleaning Handbook
The COVID-19 Cleaning Handbook