A group of unionized janitors held up a banner reading “Keep T.F. Green safe & clean” and handed out leaflets to passengers traveling in and out Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport Thursday morning.
Seven janitors organized under SEIU 32BJ urged passengers to email airport CEO Iftikhar Ahmad and pressure officials to stop a new cleaning service vendor from cutting workers’ hours.
The Rhode Island Airport Corporation’s (RIAC) board of directors in August awarded SJ Services of Danvers, Massachusetts, a three-year contract to manage cleaning services at the Warwick airport. SJ Servivces was among five bidders for the contract, which begins Friday.
“It definitely got some attention from folks,” Roxana Martinez-Gracias, a communications specialist for the union, said in an interview. “It was a nice introduction to talk about the problem at hand.”
The union fears that its 27-member cleaning crew will likely be cut in half under the new contract.
That staffing cut was based on a cost proposal sheet included with bid procurement documents that had janitors working a collective 2,700 hours per month over a potential five-year contract term. Under prior contracts, janitors worked between 4,300 and 5,000 hours per month, according to union officials.
“It’s a bit up in the air how things are going to progress,” Martinez-Gracias said. “We’re still in communication with T.F. Green about trying to hear the workers’ testimony to sit down with us, but that just hasn’t happened yet.”
Airport spokesperson Bill Fischer said the airport corporation has no role in determining the number of janitorial workers.
“RIAC is not in a position, nor is it legally permitted, to create additional positions at a cost of $93,000 per position for janitorial roles that fall outside the scope of a competitively awarded contract, simply to satisfy a union demand based on a previously underperforming vendor,” Fischer said in an email to Rhode Island Current.
Fischer said the max cap of 2,700 hours determined by airport officials for the bidding process “were necessary to maintain a clean and safe terminal.”
Janitorial services at the airport were handled for the past 15 years by Denmark-based ISS Facilities. Fischer said the company chose not to seek to renew its contract. Fischer said the airport had “received multiple complaints” about cleanliness under ISS.
Fischer shared with Rhode Island Current copies of violation notices sent to ISS in July 2024 and July 2025, noting “persistent grime” in the terminal, along with “inadequate restroom maintenance.”
“It is clear that ISS management is failing to properly manage staff to meet the required performance levels,” the July 31, 2025, notice states.
Despite the concerns of airport officials, the cleanliness of T.F. Green helped the Warwick airport reach the distinction of being the best in the world, according to Travel + Leisure magazine.
“RIAC has a legally binding contract with a vendor — backed by a performance bond — that guarantees our high standards for janitorial services,” Fisher said. “In contrast, a union is demanding an arbitrary increase in staffing, using a poorly performing previous vendor as the yardstick.”
A representative from SJ Services did not immediately respond to request for comment.
This story was originally published by the Rhode Island Current.
