Maryland Custodians Still Waiting for Guaranteed 30-Hour Weeks

Many professionals in the cleaning industry rely on a full-time workweek to support themselves and their families. However, the pandemic has forced some professional cleaners to work less hours as facilities they normally maintain have been closed or are open to limited business.

Last year, the Montgomery County council in Montgomery County, Maryland, passed a bill for employers to provide at least 30 hours of work each week for custodians in office buildings that are 350,000 square feet or larger. The bill was scheduled to go into effect this month.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic there has been limited work and the council pushed to delay this bill another year until January 1, 2022, WDVM-TV reports.

“Hopefully later in this year, and when this bill is set to kick in again in January 1, 2022, there will be more people occupying office buildings,” said Will Jawando, Montgomery County Council member. “Then there will be a need for these cleaners and maintenance workers to come back and they can benefit from the original intent of the bill which is to provide more stability for these workers.”