Sacramento airport janitors, some with disabilities, could soon be out of work
SACRAMENTO — Some people with disabilities are fighting to keep their jobs as janitors. On Tuesday, a decision is being made at the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors meeting that could soon leave them without work.
Custodians working at Sacramento International Airport (SMF) may soon be out of work.
For the last 13 years, the nonprofit company Pride Industries has provided janitorial service at the airport. A team of 100 workers helps keep the terminals clean.
"Airports are busy," said Leah Burdick, chief growth officer of Pride Industries. "You've got to stay on top of them, the bathrooms, picking up the trash."
More than a third of Pride's employees have physical and intellectual disabilities.
"It gives them a purpose," Burdick said. "They're allowed to come. They're part of the community. They're part of the travelers in the airport. They get the dignity of a paycheck."
A video produced by Pride Industries shows just how much this job means to these workers who rise above their challenges every day.
"I'm more than grateful," said janitor Joshua Fralick. "I wouldn't have anything else if I didn't have this job."
Sacramento County's current contract with Pride expires this year, and a new public bidding process was launched.
Pride re-applied, along with several other companies. So why does SMF want to hire a new janitorial service?
Airport officials recommend hiring TMM housekeeping, whose cost would be $59 million over five years. Pride Industry's cost would be $79 million, so switching would save the airport nearly $20 million.
"The department's objectives for the proposed agreement (is to) achieve the look and smell of a new, clean building every day (and) provide the required custodial services at competitive rates," Supervising Deputy County Counsel Katrina G. Nelson said in a document obtained by CBS Sacramento.
The fate of these current custodians is now in the hands of the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors who have to approve the new contract.
The current custodian contract expires this summer. Under state law, any new company would have to keep current employees on the job for 60 days before any changes could be made.
