ABSTRACT
The Maintenance Cooperation Trust Fund (MCTF) is a Taft-Hartley Trust Fund that addresses the issues of the growing predatory economy in the janitorial industry. The MCTF's mandate is to investigate and expose the use of illegal and unfair business practices in the janitorial industry. Its mission is to abolish such practices from the industry. The MCTF generally focuses on client companies, regulatory agencies, and janitors. MCTF investigators, therefore, conduct worksite visits to make initial contact with janitors. MCTF representatives conduct in-depth interviews with workers in their homes. The MCTF's experience shows that with awareness-raising, education, and advocacy, even frightened, vulnerable workers will report work-related injuries or illnesses once they understand their rights and the state and federal mechanisms and procedures that exist to help them assert their rights. Addressing unfair competition is complex in an industry dominated by contractors whose cost of entry is relatively low.
