Cintas workers criticize company's safety record
TULSA, Okla.—A labor union-backed coalition formed after a worker's death in a Tulsa plant last year is touring the country, claiming Cintas Corp., the nation's largest uniform supplier, puts production quotas and profit margins ahead of workplace safety.
In a statement released Thursday, the Cincinnati-based company said the union continues to "capitalize" on the death, and that Cintas has "redoubled its efforts" since the accident to improve its safety record.
The Coalition of Injured Cintas Workers was in Chicago this week, meeting with fellow workers, community leaders and investors. The six-week 'Painful Truth Tour' plans stops in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Orlando, Fla., among others.
Backed by the UNITE HERE and International Brotherhood of Teamsters unions, dozens of current and former Cintas workers came together in 2007 after the death of Eleazar Torres-Gomez, a father of four who had worked at Cintas' Tulsa plant since 2000.
Last March, while working alone in an area where clothes are washed in an automated system, Gomez was dragged into a 300-degree industrial dryer and became trapped inside for at least 20 minutes.
Days after his death, federal lawmakers called for an investigation, saying the incident could have been prevented. They cited a 2005 Occupational Safety and Health Administration memo warning about the need for special protection from the type of equipment used at the Tulsa plant.
Cintas, with 34,000 employees in hundreds of locations, faces a proposed OSHA fine of $2.78 million over the Tulsa death. Both parties are "very close" to a settlement, and one could come this summer, company spokeswoman Heather Trainer said this week.
"They care about the work, they care about the production, but the people, they don't care about us," said former Cintas worker and Chicago resident Maria Rodriguez, speaking through a translator.
Rodriguez, 51, said she worked in the company's Romeoville, Ill., plant for about 10 years, meeting her daily quota of hanging 2,000 shirts, until her hand was crushed last fall between two ceramic carts filled with clothing.
The company sent her to a doctor, who wrapped her hand and sent her back to work, she recalled.
The pain persisted, so she finally went to her own doctor. She said she needed three months of therapy to repair the nerves in her hand, and no longer could work at the plant.
"I can't even open a can of soda," she said.
In April, federal lawmakers had a hearing on OSHA's role in enforcing workplace safety at companies like Cintas.
Before the hearing, five former and current employees described working conditions in some Cintas plants, including long hours, poor pay, lack of trained staff to maintain key equipment and injuries such as back, shoulder and arm pain.
In its statement Thursday, Cintas said it takes "every injury, illness or complaint seriously," and that some of the allegations being made on the tour appear to have never been brought to the company's attention.
It also noted that only four of the workers on the tour currently work for Cintas.
"Since the accident in Tulsa, the company has redoubled its efforts to further improve our safety record, incorporating the latest training programs and working with equipment manufacturers and experts on upgrades and enhancements," the statement said.
The statement added that Cintas has a safety record 20 percent to 30 percent better than the industry average.
