Industrial Money Laundry-ing

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http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=18249

 

 

Industrial Money Laundry-ing

 

By David Donnelly, AlterNet

March 26, 2004

 

On September 30, 2003, Richard T. Farmer, chairman of the Cincinnati-based

Cintas Corp. – the largest industrial launderer in the country – co-hosted a

$1.7 million fundraiser for President Bush.

 

 

 

On November 20, 2003, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released

new draft regulations that, if adopted, will weaken federal safeguards for

employees who handle poison-soaked " shop " towels. The new rule would exempt

industrial laundries like Cintas " from federal hazardous and solid waste

requirements for shop towels contaminated with toxic chemicals. "

 

 

 

This is no small exemption. Each year, 3.8 billion industrial shop towels, which

are used to clean up toxic materials or spills in the workplace, or to wipe-down

machinery, are sent to be cleaned.

 

 

 

The Bush Administration's proposed rollback is particularly worrisome because

Cintas has been found to have repeatedly violated worker safety and

environmental protection standards.

 

 

 

" We were never told about all the chemicals we were forced to handle, and never

really warned about the toxic dangers from these chemicals. The towels were

often in plastic bags dripping with solvent. Our supervisors knew all about

this, " says Mark Fragola, of New Haven, Conn., a former driver for Cintas Corp.

 

 

 

According to the EPA, the rule will also will lead to higher profits for Cintas.

The EPA predicts " this proposal would... save affected facilities over $30

million per year. "

 

 

 

For the record, Cintas and Farmer, are already doing quite well. Cintas made

$249.3 million in profits in fiscal year 2003 and Farmer is ranked by Forbes as

the 140th wealthiest man in America with a net worth of $1.5 billion.

 

 

 

Farmer is a " Ranger, " meaning that he has personally raised more than $200,000

for the President's re-election campaign. In addition, Farmer was instrumental

in George W. Bush's 2000 campaign. Not only was he was a " Pioneer " in 2000

(having pledged to raise $100,000), Farmer and his wife gave the second most of

any family to the Republican Party in 2000.

 

 

 

Since the 2000 election cycle, Cintas and its employees have given almost $2.2

million to federal candidates and parties, with 100 percent of that money going

to Republicans. So far this election cycle, in addition to Farmer, 15 Cintas

executives have contributed to Bush, with eight of them giving the maximum

$2,000 contribution.

 

 

 

Farmer told the Cincinnati Enquirer in 1997, " I don't expect any special

treatment when I give my money. All I want is decent government. "

 

 

 

What is " decent " government from Cintas Corp.'s point of view? It could be a

government that rewrites environmental law to increase their profits, and one

that gives them big government contracts. In addition to the EPA draft

regulation, Cintas, as the nation's largest launderer, would likely to have been

in line to receive a contract for laundry services from the Department of

Veterans Affairs if the VA had proceeded with plans to privatize laundry

services at facilities around the U.S. Richard T. Farmer served on Bush's

Veterans Affairs transition team.

 

 

 

But the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents 600,000

federal workers, sent a cease-and-desist letter telling the VA that contracting

out the services would be in violation of federal law.

 

 

 

Will Cintas get its way? They have a long history of bullying and silencing

their opponents. The public comment period on the EPA rules is open until April

9. Sierra Club, United Students Against Sweatshops and UNITE have joined

together to oppose the EPA proposal that helps Cintas Corporation at its

workers' expense. Cintas has sued UNITE for defamation, and sued a shareholder

activist to silence his efforts to bring forth shareholder resolutions about

Cintas' labor conditions.

 

 

 

Stories like this that expose the connections between the private gains of

corporate America with the political gains of elected officials are all too

common in the nation's capital, and in the Bush White House. Sadly, the health

and safety of workers and the protection of our environment could become the

casualties.

 

 

 

David Donnelly is director of the Washington, DC- and Boston-based nonprofit

Campaign Money Watch. This op-ed was adapted from Campaign Money Watch's weekly

Special Interest Spotlight, a regular email report on the influence of special

interest money in the Bush Administration.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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