More than 200 people will be laid off after SMU opted to end a contract for janitorial work, filings show, but may be eligible to continue work under a new contract.
DALLAS — More than 200 people will be laid off early this year after SMU opted to end a contract for janitorial work, according to filings with the state. SMU says the employees are eligible to continue working at the university under a new contract, pending pre-employment checks, though.
ABM Texas General Services said in filings with the Texas Workforce Commission that 211 of its workers will be laid off effective March 12 after SMU ended its contract with ABM for janitorial work.
“The reason for this mass layoff was an unforeseeable business circumstance as SMU has decided to provide its janitorial work to another vendor at these locations, meaning that it is terminating its third-party contract with ABM to provide these services,” a Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification (WARN) notice filed with the Texas Workforce Commission states.
The layoffs will impact 201 cleaners, two account managers, two administrative assistants, two project managers, two technicians, a district manager and a lead, according to the Dec. 22 filing.
ABM said in the filing that while the impacted site is not represented by a union, affected employees will be offered other employment opportunities within the company.
SMU said in a statement that the university recently chose a new contractor for custodial services as part of a contract transition. SMU said employees assigned to the school will have an opportunity to apply to continue working on campus under the new contract, pending pre-employment requirements.
“SMU recently selected a new custodial services contractor as part of a contract transition. While the outgoing contractor issued a standard WARN notice related to the end of its contract, front-line custodial employees currently assigned to SMU will have the opportunity to apply to remain working on campus under the new contract, subject to standard pre-employment requirements,” SMU’s statement read. “Reports suggesting that this transition would result in the loss of all custodial jobs are not accurate. The vast majority of custodial employees are eligible to continue working on the SMU campus under the new contract.”
ABM provides cleaning and maintenance, landscape and turf, and other support services, according to its website.
ABM’s is not the only layoff notice filed in North Texas recently.
On Dec. 29, FedEx filed notice with the Texas Workforce Commission that 89 courier employees in Tarrant County will be laid off effective March 2 because FedEx “is relocating the majority of its courier work within 50 miles of the facility located at 2001 World Wide Drive” in Fort Worth.
“This reduction is related to Network 2.9, FedEx’s multi-year network transformation, announced in 2022, to improve the pickup, transport, and delivery of packages,” the notice continued.
The FedEx notice states that impacted employees will be provided with options, including transfer to new locations, severance, or a leave of absence in which they can pursue other opportunities with FedEx.
In December, S&S Activewear, a clothing distributor for major brands including Adidas, Champion and Under Armour, filed notice with the state that it closing a facility in North Texas and will lay off nearly 150 workers.
Notice was also filed that the Sheraton Arlington Hotel will permanently close, leading to 110 workers being laid off.