Cleaning Industry Leaders Raise Alarm: We Need Common-Sense Immigration Reform

As leaders in the cleaning industry, we know there is an urgent need for legal pathways for immigrant workers, who form the backbone of essential industries like cleaning. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that one in every 40 U.S. workers is an essential cleaner, highlighting the industry’s critical role in our economy.

The cleaning sector faces significant labor shortages while the demand for cleaning services remains high. To ensure that businesses can maintain the necessary standards for healthy workplaces, schools, hospitals, homes, and other essential spaces, a predictable and reliable source of essential workers is imperative.

Immigrant workers are the foundation of the cleaning industry, and without their crucial contributions, the entire sector would falter. Despite their invaluable contributions, these workers often go unrecognized, though their role is undeniable.

Their dedication is not only crucial to maintaining public health but also to the smooth functioning of our communities and economy. The erosion of some legal status for many current cleaning industry workers, such as the end to humanitarian parole and the elimination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for several countries, as well as other policies that threaten the rights of immigrant workers, will result in a loss of legal employees which will undermine the stability and security of a large portion of the industry’s workforce.

New policies and frequent workforce raids create unnecessary fear and uncertainty among workers, including those with legal work authority and even U.S. citizens. This makes it increasingly difficult for businesses to hire and retain the skilled labor they desperately need.

Instead of penalizing hardworking individuals who are vital to our industry, economy, and communities, we must focus on solutions that uplift and support them. We must prioritize creating a clear, reliable path to legal status for essential workers in the cleaning industry.

These workers should be protected and their rights must be upheld as they continue to serve on the frontlines of our economy, health, and safety. A legal pathway for essential workers is a step toward ensuring that businesses can thrive, communities stay safe, and the contributions and rights of immigrant workers are recognized and valued.

The cleaning industry has long relied on immigrant labor, with workers whose dedication is crucial for maintaining cleanliness and sanitation in these spaces.    

Healthcare facilities, biotech, commercial real estate, and other major economic drivers expect and rely on being cleaned properly and regularly. It’s not just the availability of workers but also the importance of proper training. Industry-leading groups like ISSA - The Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association, SEIU United Service Workers West (SEIU-USWW), and Building Skills Partnership (BSP) have long recognized that the cleaning profession requires proper skills and training to keep workers safe and spaces clean and healthy.

Proper training is crucial for maintaining high standards of cleanliness, health, and safety and offers workers a career path in the cleaning industry.

Existing policies limit businesses' ability to legally hire foreign workers for non-seasonal cleaning roles, unless U.S. workers are unavailable. This restriction creates a critical gap, resulting in persistent vacant positions. Consequently, public health is put at risk, and businesses face unfulfilled contracts, ultimately undermining U.S. workers, the economy, and public health.

To address this, we need legal pathways for workers that explicitly acknowledge the cleaning profession as a vital sector demanding a stable and reliable workforce.

It is vital that the United States immigration and labor policies enable businesses to access the skilled, dedicated, and essential workers they need to keep our communities safe and operational. 

David Huerta
President 
SEIU-USWW

John Barrett
Executive Director
ISSA, The Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association

Luis Sandoval
Executive Director 
Building Skills Partnership

**Read Op-Ed statement on the ISSA website.