Justice for Milum Textile Workers

Justice for Milum Textile workers

Tell Fox Restaurant Concepts to take responsibility for laundry workers’ health and safety!

My name is Evangelina Guzman. I work at Milum Textile Services in Phoenix, Arizona, an industrial laundry that washes linens for Arizona restaurants, hotels and hospitals.

Though I help put linens on the table for Sam Fox’s multimillion dollar Fox Restaurants Chain, I sometimes have to choose between paying all my own bills and buying enough food for my family.

I can’t afford Milum’s health insurance, Milum doesn’t offer a pension, and our plant is a dangerous place to work. Medical linens come into Milum covered in feces and blood, contaminated with germs found in a hospital. Government investigators visited our plant and in May they found that Milum had committed five “serious” violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Blood Borne Pathogens standards. OSHA defines a “serious” violation as a hazard “such that there is a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result.”

Several months ago, I suffered a serious injury while working—a heavy bag of linen fell from an overhead railing onto my shoulders and back. I fell down and was knocked unconscious. I was bruised and sprained my back.

Several months ago my co-workers and I decided that we had put up with enough, and we joined a campaign with UNITE HERE to get a union at Milum. Since I became active in the union campaign my schedule has been switched around, and I have been suspended by Milum for refusing to remove my union button.

The bad conditions at Milum continue because restaurant owners like Sam Fox don’t care what happens to us. Sam Fox continues to source his restaurant’s table linens from Milum despite Milum’s record of dirty and dangerous practices.

Please help me and my co-workers by sending a message to Sam Fox. We need to send a strong message that working conditions like this will not be tolerated.

Sincerely,
Evangelina Guzman

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Send this petition to:

Mr Sam Fox

Dear Mr. Fox,

I am writing to express my concern with Fox Restaurant Concepts continuing support of Milum Textile Services. As you know, Milum employees are working in a plant that was recently cited for the second time since 2002 with five serious violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's blood borne pathogens exposure control standards. Serious means that there is a hazard such that there is a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result. No one should have to risk their health and safety to put linens on your tables.

With your ongoing business support, Milum has engaged in a campaign to thwart these workers' struggle to improve the safety of the plant by joining a union. Milum has suspended and discharged workers who support the union. It is unjust and illegal to suspend or discharge workers asserting their legal rights.

We believe that companies as successful as Fox Restaurant Concepts have a responsibility to the community and to all workers who contribute to the success of the business. You can choose to do the right thing. We urge you to support dignity and respect for Milum workers and end your contracting relationship with Milum Textile Services.

Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address]

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