Firm to Rehire 5 Workers

The cleaning firm that fired five janitors during a labor dispute at the downtown Home Federal Building has announced that it is rehiring the workers following the National Labor Relations Board ruling that the firings were illegal.

Eliseo Medina, president of Local 102, Service Employees Union, said the maintenance company notified the union and the fired janitors Friday that the workers could return to work today. The workers, three men and two women, are employed by DID Building Services, which has contracted since 1982 to clean Home Federal’s headquarters.

Last week, Home Federal spokesman Allan Kirkhope said that DID gave “plausible reasons” for the firings. Kirkhope said none of the dismissals was related to union activities. According to Kirkhope, one man was dismissed because his job was phased out, while another was dismissed after “finishing a specific task he was hired to do.”

One woman was fired because she had a “performance problem” and was suspected of stealing, Kirkhope said. Gabriel and Carmen Soto were fired because they admitted being in the country illegally, he added.

Bob Chavarry, acting NLRB agent-in-charge in San Diego, said Thursday that a federal investigation revealed that the five workers were illegally fired by DID for union activities. Home Federal was not a subject of the investigation but has been dragged into the dispute between the union and the maintenance company. DID has refused to recognize the union.

Kirkhope and Home Federal officials were not available for comment on the rehirings.