Southeast Missouri State custodial workers react to new management

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KFVS) - Southeast Missouri State University has new changes coming. The university announced on Monday, May 23 that custodial services for the college will now be outsourced.

The news has some worried about how a new management could affect some workers jobs.

“I just been through a whole lot of stuff,” Mark Elfrink, custodian at Southeast Missourian University said.

Elfrink said he is emotional about how new management could affect his job.

“I’ve been here almost 12 and a half years that I’ve been able to build up,” Elfrink said.

At a meeting on Tuesday, he and dozens of custodial employees met their new boss, ABM Management.

The company will take over the school’s custodial services starting July 1.

“We were transparent right from the beginning about the fact that we were looking at this possibility and why. We have kept them updated all the way along throughout the process,” Brad Sheriff, VP of Finance and Administration for SEMO said.

He said they made the decision to outsource because they were short-staffed. It could save the school up to $400,000 a year.

He emphasized the company plans to keep all of SEMO’s current employees.

“All of our employees who choose to move to ABM will maintain their same pay,” Sheriff said.

A spokesperson with ABM said, “we are beginning the process of welcoming the SEMO custodial staff to ABM and introducing them to our culture, pay, benefits, and what to expect as we work to provide a seamless transition over the coming weeks.”

In a pamphlet from Tuesday’s meeting states interviews and offers for positions started that same day.

Sherriff says this transition has been in the works for months.

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