Serious Safety Violations Found at Cintas Following Gruesome Workplace Injury

Cintas has a long history of safety troubles across the country. They have also been charged with labor violations for their anti union activities several times too. Starbucks has refused consumer requests to drop Cintas as it's linen provider.

Serious Safety Violations Found at Cintas Following Gruesome Workplace Injury

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/08-10-2007/0004643497&EDATE=

YAKIMA, Wash., Aug. 10/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Cintas worker Randy Robinson's left arm was shattered and his shoulder was ripped from its socket during an incident this February at the Ohio-based uniform provider's industrial laundry in Yakima. According to a citation issued August 7 by the Washington Industrial Safety and Health Administration (WISHA), Cintas failed to provide the legally required protections that could have prevented Mr. Robinson's injury. In some cases, WISHA found that the company instructed employees to work in an unsafe manner that could cause "twisting of body parts, broken bones, amputations, or even death."

"Cintas knew or should have known there were problems in the washroom, but didn't fix them," Mr. Robinson said about the citation. "It scares me to think that my coworkers could be working in the same conditions that I was in when I got hurt. No one should have to suffer this way--physically, psychologically and financially -- especially when it is preventable."

On February 22, Mr. Robinson was working in the Yakima facility's automated washroom when his arm reportedly became tangled on coveralls hanging out of an operating industrial washer. He says the torque from the machine flipped him three times, inflicting severe trauma to his arm, until he hit an emergency off switch. The Yakima Fire Department worked for approximately one hour to saw through the twisted uniforms and free Mr. Robinson's arm from the washer. The seriousness of his injuries necessitated an emergency airlift to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle where he underwent multiple surgeries.

WISHA's investigation into the incident found numerous serious safety violations at the Company, including: failure to ensure that employees were safeguarded from rotating or revolving parts; failure to ensure that the company's established rules provided a safe and healthy work environment; and failure to train all employees in the energy control program that prevents workers from being caught in or struck by machinery and prevents electrocution.

FULL story at link.

But not surprising. Wage slaves are not highly valued.

Starbucks is anti-union, just like its partner Cintas.

were trying to unionize. Did you hear the outcome?

I haven't yet received a reply from Starbucks. No harm in writing to them, even if it is a waste of time.

Starbucks is in court again over it's anti-union tactics.

Several stories here: http://www.starbucksunion.org/

Previous settlement here: http://www.starbucksunion.org/node/712

Thanks for the links.

Dunno if that means their stores are unionized at those locations, but IWW doesn't care if Starbucks doesn't recognize the union, since there are IWW workers there now already.

http://www.iww.org/en/node/3551

The August hearing is not the company's first NLRB encounter with the IWW. The board found merit in the IWW's allegations that Starbucks discharged two workers for union activity, banned union pins, and prohibited workers from discussing the union while on company property. In lieu of continuing with the trial, Starbucks settled the case without admitting guilt in March, 2006, paying $2,000 to former employees and offering their jobs back. Starbucks also signed a consent decree promising it wouldn't threaten union supporters with negative performance reviews or transfers to other stores. It also agreed that it would not foster an atmosphere in which "union activities are under surveillance."

Pretty despicable. I don't patronize Starbucks.