Duke housekeepers claim mistreatment by supervisor

Several Duke housekeepers who are claiming poor work conditions and mistreatment by their supervisor are urging administrators to take action.

Seven housekeepers signed a letter outlining their concerns Dec. 7, 2011, which was addressed to Duke Human Resources. The letter is against Linda Schlabach, senior housekeeping supervisor in Edens Quadrangle, and includes claims of mistreatment and disrespect, such as practicing racial prejudice and requiring housekeepers to perform tasks not required by their jobs.

“Mrs. Schlaban (sic) has taken money from the grievants, has violated their personal property.... She routinely threatens termination, deportation, and other means to sustain the climate of fear she has set up,” the letter states.

The letter also includes a list of demands, such as rehiring two fired employees—former housekeepers Guillermina Hernandez and Sylvia Guadalupe Gil Gomez—and firing Schlabach.

The letter states that Hernandez was fired after Schlabach falsely accused her of cutting the power cables of the cords to a refrigerator. Schlabach has also required her housekeepers to scrub floors by hand when they could be washed by machines, according to the letter.

The letter also states that Sebastiana Flores, formerly a housekeeper in Edens, was fired soon after she wrote a complaint about the psychological abuse she endured in her position. Flores, who was rehired by the University and currently works in Crowell Quadrangle, said she and her co-workers were frequently discriminated against for being Latina and forced to spend breaks in harsh conditions.

“She told me to go eat outside, but I said I couldn’t because I have asthma,” Flores said through a translator. “She was making me eat in a very dirty basement room, and... it was full of chemicals and harmful things.”

After repeated attempts at contact, Schlabach forwarded an email request for comment from The Chronicle to Bernard Smith, assistant director of Housing, Dining and Residence Life. Smith deferred comment to Rick Johnson, assistant vice president of housing and dining.

Grievances are filed frequently from dining and housing employees, said Lorrie Alexander Jr., a senior human resources representative at Duke. He added that junior Tong Xiang—who is part of a student-led effort to support Duke employees—came to speak with Duke Human Resources on behalf of the housekeepers, but the housekeepers cannot be represented by students and must instead be represented by Local 77.

The letter also notes that some housekeepers named in the letter have said they were frequently assigned tasks outside of the housekeeper position’s purview. Schlabach has instructed them to take personal items, such as computers, from dormitory storage areas and put them in Schlabach’s car, Flores said.

“At the beginning, I thought she was a sister,” Flores said. “I thought I owed her my loyalty and protection.”

Xiang and sophomore Haley Millner said they were informed of Schlabach’s actions and went to speak with her. Millner and Xiang met with Schlabach Jan. 17, who then called the Duke University Police Department and said the students had threatened her, the students said. When the police arrived, DUPD officers walked Millner and Xiang outside of the building while Schlabach watched, the students said.

Maria Palmer, a community advocate who serves as the housekeepers’ translator, said the housekeepers are intimidated because they believe Schlabach is not being held accountable for her actions.

“They feel that Duke has to know this is happening,” Palmer said. “They asked me if I thought they should just not go back to work... but I have faith that Duke is not going to sweep this under the rug.”