A nationwide campaign shining a light on the unjust employment and business practices of Cintas Corporation, the nation’s largest uniform and laundry services company, is underway by worker centers, interfaith groups, labor unions and immigrant rights organizations.
The Interfaith Coalition for Worker Justice’s (ICWJ) involvement was triggered by Cintas’ recent decision to let go over 400 workers around the country who had received ‘no match’ letters from the Social Security Administration (SSA). SSA sends out the letters in order to clean up its database and ensure workers are credited for taxes paid.
Cintas has decided to follow a controversial Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposal that threatens millions of immigrant families' livelihoods. The proposal, which is not yet law – and may never become law – calls on employers to fire workers for not correcting social security number mismatches with SSA. Many of the workers let go have been with Cintas for many years.
Over the years, Cintas had merely passed these letters on to their employees and taken no further action. But this year, Cintas has let go workers who did not correct the discrepancy.
An ICWJ delegation visited Cintas’ Madison plant to ask the company not fire these long term workers. Nearly a dozen similar delegations have happened across the country from Branford, CT to San Jose, CA. In addition, Cintas CEO Scott Farmer has received thousands of letters and faxes calling on him to rescind this policy. But despite these calls from the religious and immigrant rights community, Cintas has terminated these long-term employees.
Cintas and many companies like it have knowingly employed workers with questionable social security numbers for years. They do this for many reasons, including the fact that these workers are more easily intimidated. These companies recognize that DHS enforcement is a joke and will often use these ‘no match’ letters to fire workers only when it is convenient for them. Workers that cannot speak up and organize because of fear of getting fired and/or deported, can be paid less and will not try to unionize.
Who do you suppose Cintas will hire to fill the positions vacated by workers let go?
Cintas’ claims of being concerned about only employing legally authorized workers don’t hold much water. The company has not even taken the simple step of signing up for the DHS’ ‘basic pilot’ program to screen the social security numbers of all new hires.
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Cintas has a sorry record of labor and business practices ... As the ICWJ investigated Cintas further, it was found that the company engaged in a wide range of questionable employment and business practices. Here is a short sample: • Living Wage Violations Cintas has a history of paying many workers less than a living wage. Workers from Cintas’ San Leandro and Union City, California plants won a judgment for more than $1 million in a living wage lawsuit last year. Madison officials awarded a city contract to another bidder after learning of Cintas’ refusal to pay the city’s living wage. Cintas has also been sued for violating the City of Los Angeles’ Living Wage Ordinance. • Wage & Hour Violations Cintas drivers across the country are suing the company for $100 million, alleging that they were denied overtime pay for many years. • Race & Gender Discrimination Current and former employees have filed three class-action lawsuits charging that Cintas discriminates against women and minority employees by denying them promotions and shunting them into lower-paying, less desirable jobs. The EEOC has joined one of the suits on behalf of women denied drivers positions at Cintas. Further, the EEOC is investigating Cintas for failure to place women in certain production positions and failure to hire and assign women, African Americans and Latinos into the company’s management training program. • Health & Safety Issues The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (COSH) has announced that Cintas is among the “Dirty Dozen” of America’s most dangerous employers. The COSH report details those companies “whose reckless disregard for their employees’ safety and health has had tragic consequences.” • Labor Law Violations The General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) charged Cintas with illegally firing and disciplining union supporters, threatening workers with plant closures and unlawful interrogations, among dozens of other charges. The NLRB has ruled that a company policy prohibiting workers from talking about their wages and working conditions both interferes with their right to organize and is illegal. Cintas has been repeatedly cited for violating its workers’ right to organize. • Questionable Business Practices A recent article in Forbes Magazine (12/11/06) raises serious questions about Cintas’ business practices and customer relations, citing deceptive sales tactics, unauthorized charges, and price gouging. |
Our immigration system is broken and companies like Cintas are profiting from it. We need comprehensive immigration reform.
Why should we as a community support a company that treats its workers and customers this way? It is these workers who have helped Cintas thrive. Now they are being discarded. It is time that we respond to companies that treat workers this way by withdrawing our support. Workers, both union and nonunion, should refuse to wear Cintas uniforms; small businesses should switch to providers who do not have so many labor problems. Cintas did not need to fire these workers – they chose to do so. We can choose as workers and consumers to fire Cintas.
We sometimes hear from people who question why we stand up for workers who are possibly undocumented. Our general position is that all workers deserve to be treated fairly and with dignity and respect regardless of their legal status.
In 2000, the AFL-CIO took the same position on immigration reform and amnesty for undocumented workers. They recognized that all workers deserve rights and that our current immigration system is not working – but is in fact hurting all workers.
Comprehensive and effective immigration reform must address the issues driving illegal immigration such as globalization, structural adjustment, and dislocation caused by free trade agreements. It must provide a process so that the twelve million who are here can adjust their status and come out of the shadows.
Reform isn’t a ‘guest worker’ program that creates a system of indentured servitude, but rather a system that grants full rights. And it must set immigration rates that correspond to the needs of the economy. Establishing reasonable and compassionate provisions for family reunification is crucial.
Only by passing comprehensive immigration reform that addresses the full range of issues involved can we hope to get a handle on our borders and get workers and employers to respect the law. Otherwise, we will continue to revisit the issue of illegal immigration every ten years or so without ever effectively addressing its root causes.
If you are interested in finding out more or want to join us in sending a message to Cintas, please contact the Interfaith Coalition for Worker Justice at (608) 255-0376.