U.S. House of Representatives Holds Hearing on Need for Increased Workplace Safety Enforcement

April 23, 2008

Testimony Given By Emmanuel Torres, Son of Worker Killed at Cintas Plant; U.S. Representative “Appalled” at Cintas’ Lack of Responsibility

The U.S. House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections held a hearing today on workplace safety seeking stronger OSHA enforcement for large, multi-site employers. Members of the subcommittee named Cintas as a prime example of the need for stronger OSHA enforcement. The hearing was prompted by the death last year of Eleazar Torres Gomez, a worker who was killed at a Cintas plant in Tulsa, OK after he was trapped inside an industrial-sized dryer. Emmanuel Torres, Mr. Torres Gomez’ son (pictured-- photo by Earl Dotter), testified at today’s hearing, stating that Cintas failed to do everything it was required to do to protect his father. At the hearing, citing internal company memos made public today, members of the committee strongly admonished Cintas’s top corporate leadership for failing to fix the lethal dangers it knew about that ultimately led to the death of Eleazar Torres Gomez.

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International Week of Action Highlights Concerns Over Aramark’s Bad Practices

April 14, 2008

As part of an international week of action, workers took to the streets in Ireland, the UK and Belgium last week to inform the public of concerns about Aramark’s poor treatment of workers, communities and clients. Over the course of the week, workers in the three countries were joined by Jack Rushton, an Aramark employee in Philadelphia, who was, after 20 years of service, recently demoted by Aramark.

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