Maids, bellhops, and other hotel workers at the Anchorage Hilton are frustrated with what they say is a slow response from Alaska’s worker safety agency to health complaints they filed about mold hazards.

In that complaint, filed May 13, workers alleged that they lacked adequate training and protective equipment when working around mold at the hotel. Some employees reported allergy-like and other symptoms that they were concerned may be related to mold.

The complaint submitted to the Alaska Occupational Safety and Health administration (AKOSH), alleges insufficient safety equipment, training, and knowledge of the issue to safeguard their health when they worked around mold.

“We want Occupational Safety and Health to get documentation from the hotel of repair work they’ve done,” said Marvin Jones, President of UNITE HERE Local 878, the union that represents the majority of Hilton Anchorage employees. “We want them to interview the maintenance workers involved in repairs that are due to mold or moisture problems.”

While the Anchorage Hilton has implemented what it calls an “aggressive” preventative maintenance program to address mold and moisture, workers want to ensure that proper training and protective equipment is included in that program.

UNITE HERE Local 878 represents 1,100 workers in the hospitality industries of Alaska.  unitehere878.org