Members of the janitors union warned the state Department of Transportation board Wednesday that impending cuts to janitorial services at MBTA stops will impose an excessive workload on those who remain and undermine cleanliness at stations.
The union said about 29 percent of the T’s contracted cleaning staff, or 90 of 315 workers, will lose their jobs Sept. 1, under provisions in contracts awarded to two companies.
Staffing cuts could be particularly consequential given new late-night service on weekends, meaning more riders but fewer janitors to clean up after them, said union officials who testified at Wednesday’s transportation board meeting.
“Workers are routinely called upon to not only clean soil and trash, but urine, vomit, and feces,” said Roxana Rivera, director of 32BJ Service Employees International Union District 615 . “If there are not enough workers to address those needs on a daily basis, it’s going to end up leading to public health issues.”
The MBTA awarded two contracts, totaling $61.8 million, for cleaning services last September. Each was a five-year contract, T spokesman Joe Pesaturo said. Before then, he said, the T had 13 contracts managed by four departments.
The contracts come with a new approach to holding cleaning services accountable, moving toward what he called “performance-based management of cleaning contracts.”
“The goal . . . is to provide a cleaner and safer environment for employees and customers, while improving the training and job satisfaction of cleaning employees and saving money,” Pesaturo said.
T employees, in conjunction with outside auditors, will conduct regular inspections of stations and buildings, Pesaturo said. If the buildings are not up to par, the contracted companies face fines and penalties.
The contracts awarded to S.J. Services Inc. and ABM Industries required them to maintain the same staffing level for the first year but allowed for staff reductions in the remaining years of the contract, Pesaturo said.
Union spokesman Eugenio H. Villasante said the Orange and Blue lines north of Downtown Crossing and the Red Line south of Downtown Crossing “are going to be hardest hit.”