A new report finds that Twin Cities building owners could save up to $10 million a year by implementing day shift cleaning. The report, "Clean Sweep: How a New Approach to Cleaning Buildings in the Twin Cities Can Protect Our Health and the Environment While Securing Jobs and Saving Money," was released today by the Blue Green Alliance and SEIU Local 26. It finds that a day shift cleaning transition could save 4-8 percent in office building energy costs, and adopting green cleaning practices--which encourages the use of less toxic cleaning products--would protect the health of janitorial and office workers in commercial office buildings.

Twin Cities janitors work hard to provide a clean and safe environment for all of us in our biggest public and private buildings. Every night as most other workers are going home, most janitors begin their night shift, which keeps the lights and heat on for at least eight additional hours every night. Citing energy savings and a better environment for workers, the Hennepin County Government Center has already made the switch. Janitor Katra Arale, who has worked at the building for 11 years, said in a Tuesday press conference that workers like herself are happy to go to day cleaning to help save money and energy. However, Arale noted, the transition must be done right, preserving eight-hour shifts to allow workers to support families.

The report comes as SEIU Local 26, which represents over 4,000 janitors who clean the majority of buildings in the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area, have scheduled a Saturday vote deciding whether the union should strike. Union janitors have been working without a contract since January 8. 

"Green Cleaning and Day Shift Cleaning should be a win-win proposition for building owners, tenants, and the janitors that clean the buildings," said Javier Morillo, President of SEIU Local 26. "The key element in such a transition is ensuring that we have adequate staffing levels, training and the engagement of building tenants to make this transition as smooth as possible."

"Day Shift Cleaning and Green Cleaning go hand-in-hand, as you can't have a truly green building that is saving energy but full of toxic chemicals, or cleaned with green products but wasting energy," said David Foster, executive director of the Blue Green Alliance. "This report demonstrates that transitioning to a green economy impacts every corner of our economy, from manufacturing the parts for clean energy production to making our buildings and workplaces safer, cleaner and more efficient."

Fresh Energy joins over 40 community, environmental, faith and other organizations supporting Twin Cities janitors in their efforts to make janitorial jobs part of the new clean energy economy and ensure they are stable, eight-hour fulltime jobs that can support a family.