The July/August edition of ISSA Today—now available in digital format for your desktop, smartphone, or tablet―helps you stay up to date on the latest cleaning industry and ISSA-member news.

The cleaning and facility solutions industry has never had more reason to speak up, and the July/August 2026 issue of ISSA Today makes the case for why its voice matters now. The cover story shows where advocacy meets sustainability and why companies that help shape policy tend to outlast the ones simply reacting to it.

The issue also digs into the human side of artificial intelligence, where the advantage lies with leaders who ask sharper questions rather than buy bigger dashboards, and reveals how five-star air quality is quietly becoming a product guests will pay for. Inside, a hospitalist builds the case for giving environmental services a seat in the clinical huddle, and researchers explain how microcredentials finally put proof behind cleaning expertise. The issue closes with a spotlight on Michigan State University, where an invisible workforce keeps 5.6 million square feet of student housing running before the campus wakes up.

Here’s some of what you can find in the July/August issue:

• Straight Talk!: How Clean Air Is Becoming a Product
• President’s Message: The Human Side of Artificial Intelligence
• ISSA In Action!: An inside look at what ISSA is doing for its members today.
• Proof of Expertise: Building measurable value in the cleaning and facility solutions industry with microcredentials.
• Where Advocacy Meets Sustainability: Why the cleaning and facility solutions industry’s voice matters more than ever.
• Become a Part of Patient Care: A hospitalist’s case for EVS.
• Sustainability Trends: Shaping U.S. foodservice operations.
• Continuous Improvement: Turning physical AI into results.
• Member Spotlight on Michigan State University: The invisible workforce behind an outstanding Spartan experience.

View the Table of Contents to see all that’s available in this issue.

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The Art Institute of Chicago plans to eliminate its whole in-house custodial workforce on August 14, according to the institution and the union American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 (AFSCME Council 31).

Up to 25 of the museum’s custodians — including 23 unionized workers — would lose their current jobs as part of the museum’s plan to outsource its custodial work to a private, third-party vendor, the museum announced at the end of June.

The affected workers are responsible for cleaning the institution’s galleries and facilities, and some of them have worked at the institute for decades. Hyperallergic reported the contractor will offer staff members new positions, contingent upon their completion of a separate application process.

Still, the union argued the position eliminations would reduce the benefits for the custodial team, including a loss of hard-earned paid time off, and the elimination of seniority privileges. It also strips them of vital Art Institute benefits, including access to higher education for themselves and their families through tuition remission and tuition exchanges, museum admission across Chicago, and eligibility for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) programs. Beyond the financial impact, this decision inflicts a severe mental and emotional toll and destroys workplace trust.

AFSCME’s lawyers at its parent union have filed an information request and a grievance about the timing of this decision, which violates its contract. The union is demanding to bargain the effects of the elimination decision with the museum’s management.