Emeryville, Calif. – IKEA’s lawbreaking cleaning contractor, Excel Building Services is now under investigation for violating minimum wage laws, overtime laws, and federal labor laws according to a website <www.CleanUpIKEA.com> launched today by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Excel has already been fined by the City of San Francisco and settled a class action lawsuit for paying illegally low wages.[1] Now janitors at IKEA stores in East Palo Alto, Sacramento and Emeryville are reporting similar violations.

IKEA could be held jointly responsible for violations committed by Excel due to federal and state laws aimed at preventing illegal behavior from contractors. In 2005, several supermarket chains settled a $22.4 million class action lawsuit with their janitors involving the same legal violations that janitors at IKEA stores are now alleging.[2] Target and The Gap also have cleaning contracts with Excel, and may be implicated in any legal action taken by their janitors.

CleanUpIKEA.com details Excel’s alleged violation of minimum wage laws, overtime laws, federal labor laws, as well as illegal denial of workers’ compensation benefits. Unfair treatment of janitors at IKEA appears to be part of a long pattern of illegal behavior for Excel. Accordingly, Excel is under investigation by the National Labor Relations Board, a federal agency, facing over twenty charges of misconduct. Two new charges were filed today by janitors who clean the IKEA in Emeryville.

Despite IKEA’s potential liability for these violations, it has not taken action to resolve the dispute. The Scandinavian discount furniture retailer’s pledge to social responsibility, “Low prices- but not at any price,” may be jeopardized if it refuses to clean up its contractor’s mess. Unlike IKEA, most businesses in commercial real estate across country choose responsible, unionized cleaning contractors that provide decent wages and affordable, family health care.