SPRINGFIELD — The owner of Monarch Place office tower is switching cleaning companies and 14 union members fear they’ll be out of work as of May 1 when the new, nonunion contractor comes in.
“I’ll have to find something else,” said Jeanne Hamel, 78, of Chicopee, at an informational picket Wednesday on Main Street in the shadow of the 26-floor office tower. “This supplements my Social Security.”
Springfield City Councilor Melvin Edwards was there Wednesday to show his support to the workers.
Hamell said she’s been working at the building for 25 years. A widow, she works part time from 5 to 10 p.m. five nights a week.
Service Employees International Union Local 32 BJ in Boston organized the picket. The union organized workers at the building’s former cleaning company, called Simply Performance, just 15 months ago.
The union is calling on Monarch Place owner Paul Picknelly to help preserve union jobs at the building and, if he feels the need to switch companies, chose one that is a signatory to the union’s bargaining agreement, said Kevin Brown, New England district director for SEIU 32BJ.
Chris Duran holds the banner of union staff and members of Service Employees International Union Local 32 BJ outside One Monarch Place to support the buildings workers, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (Douglas Hook / The Republican)Douglas Hook
While there are only 14 Local 32 BJ members at Monarch Place, the local has 21,000 members working in office buildings — the vast majority of them in the private sector — around the state.
Brown said unionized cleaners — full and part time — earn $16.50 to $17.50 an hour and earn benefits like vacation and holiday time and access to a training fund and legal fund. Full-time employees earn health care.
The new clearing company is Environmental Control Connecticut Valley Inc., the union said. Environmental Control Connecticut Valley Inc. didn’t respond to a message left Wednesday at its offices in East Longmeadow.
Paul Picknelly said in a phone interview that the switch has nothing to do with union or nonunion he said there it was a performance issue with the old cleaning company.
“They didn’t live up to our standards,” Picknelly said.
After multiple meetings, his concerns were not addressed so he went with the new contractors as of May 1.
He said union or nonunion had nothing to do with the situation.
But Brown said the SEIU has seen this before about five years ago when One American Row, the “Boat Building” in Hartford, switched to Environmental Control Connecticut Valley Inc. and union workers were replaced there as well.
The union workers at Monarch Place said they have been told they can apply to work for Environmental Control Connecticut Valley.
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Read the original article on MassLive.