Courthouse Employees Are Refusing To Go To Work Due To A Bed Bug Infestation Within The Building
It should be accepted that bed bugs will always remain a problem for humans. Although there exists more than one effective method of eradicating bed bug infestations, the amount of bed bug-related issues only seems to increase as time progresses. For some reason that is not yet clear, bed bugs have been infesting numerous government buildings within the United States. Most of these infested buildings are located in the northeast region of the US. The latest of these bed bug infestations has been found in a Rhode Island courthouse. The bed bug issue in the courthouse has spooked many of government employees who work within the building, as they are refusing to show up for work in fear of inadvertently bringing the insects home with them.
A union representing the county clerks and the sheriff’s office is asking state legislators to close the Garrahy Judicial Complex until the bed bug infestation within the building is eradicated. Specifically, the union is hoping to have the county workers relocated to a bed bug-free location. According to J. Michael Downey, president of the union, a bed bug was initially found on the fifth floor of the building which contains the county courthouse. Now, the insects have spread to the third floor as well. Due to the infestation, Downey is working hard to relocate the employees. A couple of weeks ago the union submitted a health and safety grievance to the state court administrator describing the infestation that is currently threatening the health of the Family Court clerks and deputy sheriffs working at the complex. In fact, some county employees have already stopped showing up for work, and they are demanding compensation for their time off.
A representative for the Department of Children, Youth and Families has spoken out about the failed attempts at controlling the bed bug population within the complex. However, the facilities manager at the complex claims that no evidence of bed bugs within the building has been found. It has also been claimed that pest control professionals failed to locate bed bugs during an inspection of the complex. This statement contradicts another recently submitted court document filed by the union claiming that a bed bug infestation has existed within the complex for several weeks. News stations in the area have received reports of people being attacked by bed bugs within the complex. At the moment, it seems as though this problem is far from being solved.
Would you refuse to attend work within a building infested with bed bugs?
