ED Union Alleges Unsafe Working Conditions at Labor

Education Department employees sent to the Labor Department are working in offices that are “unsafe and in disrepair,” according to the union representing the ED staff, which filed a complaint this week with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration over the working conditions.

The employees started working out of the Labor Department after ED outsourced career and technical education and postsecondary education programs to other agencies. According to the complaint, those staffers have experienced inconsistent heating, leading them to wear winter coats at their desks. They also consistently see mice, so employees say they don’t bring their lunches into the building.

“We were informed that DOL is aware of this issue and has instructed people to only use certain trash cans for food because if they put food in just any old trash can, it will make this issue worse,” the complaint says. “There are also notes at the bottom of some of the cubicles that warn people about the mice.”

The union also says there’s a cockroach issue, visible mold and leaking ceiling tiles, among other concerns. The represented employees say a communal refrigerator had substantial mold, according to the complaint, and they don’t have a suitable refrigerated space for employees to bring food. According to the union’s release, the Education Department has purchased new printers and a refrigerator for the Department of Labor.

“The Labor Department offices are unsafe and in disrepair, with water leaking from ceilings, mold in kitchens, extreme temperatures from a failing HVAC system, insect traps filled with dead bugs and live insects in lactation rooms and work areas,” AFGE Local 252 president Rachel Gittleman said in a statement. 

The Education Department referred Inside Higher Ed’s request for comment to Labor. 

“Over 2,000 employees report to the Frances Perkins Building every day without issue,” DOL spokeswoman Courtney Parella said in a statement. “It appears a small group of employees would rather protest their detail to Labor than do their actual jobs and deliver for the American people. The Department of Labor remains focused on carrying out the Trump Administration’s agenda and streamlining education to employment pathways to connect Americans with mortgage-paying jobs.”