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It's Easy Being Green
Photo courtesy: pdphoto.org
Reduce, Reuse and Recycle Your TrashYou can reduce waste by minimizing the amount of trash you create in the workplace.Here are some simple steps you can take:Instead of using a disposable coffee cup, opt for a reusable alternative, such as a coffee mug. Reuse and/or recycle your paper and plastic shopping bags, (including those you get with lunch) or purchase a reusable bag. Recycle items, such as soda bottles and cans, which would otherwise end up in a landfill. Take advantage of designated recycle bins and, if your city or town has a good recycling program, consider taking home items that cannot be recycled at work.
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Employee Spotlight:
Julian Delacruz
By Susan Minichiello
Julian Delacruz joined PMI's Special Services Division about two years ago, performing such tasks as floor and carpet cleaning, window washing and construction. Two months ago, Julian began working as a day porter at ConnectiCare in Farmington and an acting night supervisor at IBM in Southbury. Prior to joining PMI, he worked as an assistant manager for a Dunkin' Donuts. Julian came to the US from Mexico nearly 11 years ago.
"Julian is a very dependable, hard-working person who is incredibly meticulous and quality- oriented," says PMI Operations Manager Sandino Cifuentes. "He has helped me on many occasions to cover daytime routines that involve a lot of interaction with our customers, and he always makes a good impression because of the quality of his work and his people skills. In short, Julian is a great asset to us and represents the best of PMI wherever he goes."
Julian says that he truly enjoys all aspects of his work. He gets along well with fellow PMI employees and with the clients. He feels PMI is a good company and is happy to be working for the organization.
Beyond the quality of his work and his people skills, Julian recently demonstrated another admirable trait: honesty. While working one night at IBM in Southbury, he came across a money clip with quite a bit of cash in it. The very next morning, he turned the money clip and cash in to Sandino, who in turn gave it to the building property manager. Needless to say, the owner (a director at IBM-Armonk in New York) was thrilled to have it returned and sent an E-mail message to Sandino praising Julian for his integrity and good deed.
Julian lives in New Haven with his wife, Maria Perez, and their three children. Julian and Maria have two boys, ages 16 and 11, and a two-year-old girl. They are also expecting a baby girl in June.
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June 2:
21st Annual Scholarship Golf Outing
Southern
CT BOMA's golf outing is held, in part, to raise money for the college
scholarship fund. This year's Grand Sponsor is Culbertson Company of
New York. Numerous other sponsorship opportunities are still available.
11:00 a.m.
Registration & Lunch
12:30 p.m.
Tee Off (refreshments on course)
5:30 p.m.
Happy Hour & Dinner
6:00 p.m.
Prizes awarded (as dinner continues)
Race Brook Country Club
246 Derby Avenue
Orange, CT
For
more information about the golf outing, including tournament
participation and/or sponsorship, please call Sharon Moran at
860-243-3977.
SAVE THE DATES
September 3:
2nd Annual Fishing Tournament
Details to follow
October 1:
2009 TOBY Awards Dinner
5:30 p.m. Cocktails
6:30 p.m. Dinner/Awards
The Inn at Longshore
260 Compo South Road
Westport, CT
For more information:
www.soctboma.org
IFMA Hudson Valley, NY Events
May 20:
Tour of Cedar Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation Center with presentation by Bob Embree, Director of Facilities
4:30 p.m.
Registration and Networking
5:00 p.m.
Presentation
6:00 p.m.
Reception
32 Cedar Lane
Ossining, NY
Directions
Members $25
Non-Members $50
Please RSVP by May 13 via email to Janet Estevez-Filardi or by phone at 914-697-5288.
For more information on all IFMA-Hudson Valley, NY events, please visit the online calendar.
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Thank you for taking the time to read Solutions.
We'd like to know what you think. If you have suggestions for future newsletters or comments about this issue, you can contact me directly.
Best Regards,
Matt Ellis
Publisher
matt@ellisstrategies.com
877-278-6560
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Dear ,
We certainly are off to an interesting year. Beside the new government and economic challenges, we are now facing a frightening health scare.
In this edition, we provide some preventive and reactive ideas to help our clients and friends stay ahead of the H1N1 Flu issue. We have increased attention to high-touch areas in all of our client office locations. In our client schools, we are working closely with onsite staff to prevent the spread of flu to children. Internally, this situation has forced us to reconfirm the procedures we have in place to assist clients while keeping our employees healthy and safe.
On the bright side, it looks like the warm weather has arrived and we are moving forward with a lot of spring services to help enhance our clients' workplaces. We've had a lot to deal with this year already and we are looking forward to a good second half of the year.
 Michael Diamond President Premier Maintenance, Inc. |
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H1N1 Flu: PMI Efforts and Update
By Susan Minichiello
 With the threat of the new H1N1 flu (AKA swine flu), many PMI clients are looking to us to play an important role in protecting their buildings and occupants.
"We have advised our employees to make sure they are using disinfectants and wiping all common touch surfaces, such as doorknobs, toilet handles and coffee stations," said PMI President Michael Diamond. "We have also asked our employees to notify their supervisors if they become aware of anyone with flu-like symptoms."
Beyond the prevention steps being taken by our cleaning and maintenance staff, we want to provide some additional information about this virus and tips for prevention.
The outbreak of H1N1 flu is continuing to grow both in the US and internationally. As of May 8, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) listed the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases in the US at 1,639, including 174 cases in New York, four in Connecticut and seven in New Jersey. The CDC says there are still backlogs in most states in terms of testing and as those backlogs are taken care of, the case numbers are going to increase. As of May 8, the CDC had reported two deaths in the US from this outbreak. While the virus is primarily affecting older children and young adults-the median age of cases is 15 years-individuals of all ages can acquire the virus.
"From the beginning, I've been trying to stress this is a marathon, not a sprint. And you know, across the country, this is what we're seeing. We expect this to continue to progress. We expect it to progress around the world. We expect additional countries to be affected," said Dr. Richard E. Besser, acting director of the CDC, in a press briefing on May 7. "It's very important that we continue to pay attention and study this and learn from this and provide the best guidance we can based on available science at that time."
The symptoms of H1N1 flu in people are similar to the symptoms of regular human flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting associated with H1N1 flu. The spread of this virus is thought to be happening in the same way that seasonal flu spreads: mainly from person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people. Sometimes people may become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouths or noses.
"People are concerned, and they say, what can we do to make ourselves safe? What can we do to protect our family?" said Dr. Besser. "And there's a lot people can do; simple things to prevent respiratory infection."
 The CDC recommends the following everyday actions people can take to stay healthy:
- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash immediately after you use it.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for 15 to 20 seconds, especially after you cough or sneeze. When soap and water are not available, alcohol-based disposable hand wipes or gel sanitizers are also effective. If using a gel rub your hands until gel is dry.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
- Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
- If you get sick, stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
The CDC is continuing to work with state and local health departments, as well as with the World Health Organization, the Pan-American Health Organization, Canada and Mexico. On April 27, the CDC issued a travel advisory recommending that nonessential travel to Mexico be postponed. On May 3, the CDC completed deployment of 25% of the supplies in the Strategic National Stockpile, including anti-viral drugs, masks and gowns, to all states in the continental US. These supplies and medicines will help states and US territories respond to the outbreak. In addition, the Federal Government and manufacturers have begun the process of developing a vaccine against the novel H1N1 flu virus.
The CDC Web site has current information on the outbreak, including case counts. The site also provides links to the World Health Organization, clinical guidance information and information for the public.
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Connecticut Considers
Green Cleaning Legislation
By Susan Minichiello
 The Connecticut state legislature is currently considering a bill that would have a sweeping effect on cleaning in public schools throughout the state. If passed, HB 6496--An Act Concerning Green Cleaning Products in Schools--would require all school districts to phase-in a green cleaning program for all school buildings and facilities by October 1, 2011. The central impetus for this proposed legislation is to improve the health and well-being of students and school personnel.
Up to 25 percent of the cleaning chemicals currently used in schools are known to be potentially toxic, and exposure to these conventional cleaners adversely impacts students, teachers, administrators, custodial staff and other building occupants. According to federal EPA statistics, 1 out of every 13 school-age children has asthma, and maintenance workers suffer one of the highest rates of occupational asthma. Asthma among school-age children is a leading cause of absenteeism, with 14.7 million school days missed annually. In addition, school districts must endure the costs associated with lost work time and productivity, additional expenses for substitute teachers and potential liability issues from workers' compensation and disability claims.
"The spikes in asthma and other allergy conditions that we are seeing among student populations and the mounting evidence about the future health consequences of inhaling or absorbing powerful compounds throughout the school day ... are all concerns that can and should be addressed by greening our cleaning," says Rep. Lonnie Reed (102nd District, Branford), a co-sponsor of HB 6496. "It is now possible to obliterate germs and disinfect surfaces by using a growing number of proven products that are safer for people and friendlier to the environment."
 Under HB 6496, all green cleaning programs would be required to use products certified by either Green Seal or EcoLogo, which are independent third parties. The products that must be certified would include general purpose cleaners, bathroom cleaners, carpet cleaners, glass cleaners, floor strippers and finishes, hand cleaners and soaps. The legislation does not apply to disinfectants, disinfecting cleaners or sanitizers.
Beyond the obvious health and environmental benefits that passage of HB 6496 would generate, there could be economic advantages as well.
According to the Coalition for a Safe & Healthy Connecticut, such government agencies as the US Department of the Interior; the states of Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Missouri and Vermont; and Chicago Public Schools have reported that switching to safer cleaning products did not cost more. In Connecticut, the budget of the Department of Administrative Services was not changed in any way to implement the use of certified green cleaning products required in all state buildings by Executive Order in 2006 and state law in 2007.
"Switching from traditional cleaning products makes sense for health and environmental reasons, but it also makes sense for financial reasons," says Senator Bob Duff (D-Norwalk), a co-sponsor of the bill. "Several states--including Georgia, Florida, Pennsylvania and Vermont--have instituted plans that use green products and are cost-neutral or have saved districts thousands of dollars. Santa Monica, California, for example, actually documented a five percent savings after switching to green products and eliminated the use of 3,200 pounds of hazardous materials."
Numerous organizations have voiced their support for HB 6496, including the State Child Advocate, the American Lung Association, the Connecticut Federation of School Administrators, the Association of School Nurses in Connecticut, the Connecticut Public Health Association, Connecticut Clean Water Action, the Ecological Health Organization and the Connecticut Sierra Club.
The legislation, which was introduced by the Education Committee, has been referred to the House Appropriations Committee. The 2009 regular legislative session adjourns on June 3.
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Reverse Discrimination Case Thrusts New Haven into National Spotlight
By Glenn A. Duhl, Esq.
New Haven firefighters, 17 Caucasian and one Hispanic, had their day in the United States Supreme Court last month in a case that could have major ramifications for employment discrimination laws. In 2003, the New Haven Fire Department held examinations for Lieutenant and Captain promotions. When the results of the tests came in and no African Americans scored high enough for a promotion, New Haven discarded the results. New Haven did so claiming that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended by Civil Rights Act of 1991 ("Title VII"), prohibited it from using the examinations as they had a disparate impact against African Americans. The 18 firefighters, who scored high enough to qualify for promotions, filed suit against the City and various city officials ("Defendants") claiming that the discarding of the tests was intentional discrimination against them because of their race in violation of Title VII.
 The District Court agreed that Defendants properly discarded the results to avoid making promotions based on a test with a racially disparate impact, and that this was not intentional discrimination against the Caucasian and Hispanic firefighters. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the decision and the Supreme Court accepted the case for review.
Employers should pay particular attention to the Supreme Court's decision, which is expected in June, as it can have a lasting impact on employment discrimination laws. Many people wonder if the protections currently afforded minorities in the employment context are still needed. As the United States continues to move toward a more diverse and racially accepting society, the discrimination facing minorities in employment decisions in the past may not be as prevalent, and society is more at a point in time in which a person is hired, fired or promoted based on the person's abilities and not skin color. The greatest evidence of the changing landscape of the racial divide in this country was the election of President Barack Obama. On the other side, many people believe that no matter how far this country has come regarding racial equality, especially in the employment context, there still remains work to be done and reducing and/or eliminating the protections afforded minorities by state and federal laws, such as Title VII, will only reverse the progress made in the last 40 years.
Connecticut employers and their counsel should monitor this case closely as it may have a profound impact on your employment practices including hiring, firing and/or promoting employees.
Glenn A. Duhl is a management employment and litigation lawyer at Siegel, O'Connor, O'Donnell & Beck, P.C., (860) 280-1215, gduhl@siegeloconnor.com. He represents management in preventive employment law and litigation of all employment matters. Please visit www.siegeloconnor.com.
The
information contained in this article is general in nature and offered
for informational purposes only. It is not offered and should not be
construed as legal advice.
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