Providence school vendor intends to hire 200+ employees laid off by previous provider

The incoming company that will provide facilities services for Providence public schools says it intends to keep the employees who work for the outgoing vendor.

ABM Industries, scheduled to take over on Aug. 1, says it has had informational session with the current workers.

"We are also working closely with the local union, as well as current full-time employees who have already applied for ABM roles, to support a seamless transition," ABM said.

As required by law, Aramark Facilities Services notified the state Department of Labor and Training of its intention to lay off 211 employees in Providence after losing the contract. Aramark held the contract for 18 years before losing it to ABM Industries, WPRI reported. The new contract is for $72 million, according to WPRI.

"It is our understanding that affected employees will have the opportunity to apply for positions with the District’s new provider," Aramark said in response to an inquiry from The Journal. "We are also working with impacted employees to access other job opportunities within our company."

Jay Wegimont, public information officer for the Providence Public School District, said, "Our new vendor, ABM, has begun a robust transition plan that prioritizes the transition of existing staff to ABM as well as the hiring of new staff members."

He noted that ABM, a publicly traded company, serves more than 400 K-12 schools and 200 higher education institutions, including North Kingstown Schools, New Haven Public Schools, Johnson & Wales University, and Harvard Graduate School of Education.

"With this new contract, PPSD is raising expectations for the cleaning and maintenance of our school buildings to enhance the learning and working environment for our students, teachers, and staff members," Wegimont said via email. "Our new contract holds these higher expectations through a performance-based contract to complete proactive maintenance, ensure custodial services are appropriately staffed, and work order statuses are transparent."

He said ABM is focusing on a smooth transition that will have the schools ready for the 2023-2024 school year.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: ABM Industries aims to hire 200+ employees laid off by Aramark in RI