Albany, NY — After multiple bedbug sightings in the last few months at 625 Broadway, some State employees say they’re still going to work anxious, and concerned.
They have been told, and CBS6 has been told, the issue has been resolved, but they’ve also been told that before, so now, workers are asking for that communication and transparency to improve moving forward.
“I do hear that from the leadership there. They have been very anxious,” Bruce Giddings, a Public Employees Federation Vice President, said. “I think the anxiousness may be coming from the fact that they’re not getting all the information or, I mean, let’s face it, if I become nervous, or you become nervous or anxious over something, most likely it’s due to the fact that I don’t know the whole story. So, and for whatever reason, any information is being withheld, the end result of that is anxiousness. We’re here to help advocate for those people, our members, that are anxious. So that’s my main purpose for being here for this interview as well, because I want to assure that our members in this building or anywhere else throughout the state, whether it be Albany, New York City or Buffalo, that we continue to advocate for their health and safety in the workplace.”
A letter from the union to workers in January laid out the timeline of incidents.
The letter says a dead bedbug was found on the 9th floor of 625 Broadway on October 20th. It was reported, and a pest management company arrived that night to treat the area, which is a space occupied by the Office of Climate Change.
After that, on October 29th, they say a bedbug, alive, was found. The pest management company was brought back that evening to treat the area once again, which they say at that time the entire floor would be inspected by the company the following Monday, including a bedbug-detecting dog. Nothing was found, and the area was deemed safe for work.
The union stated that after November 4th, there were several bedbugs observed in the same area, yet, in the ensuing December 3rd inspection, no bedbug activity was found. Workers were given the opportunity to telecommute from January 1st to January 14th.
As for the DEC’s account, they tell CBS6 between October 29th and January 14th, two live bedbugs and two dead bedbugs were found in the same area on the same floor, as stated above. They say the pest management company inspected and treated that area eight times, with additional follow up visits, of which they found no evidence during the follow up visits. They also brought a bedbug-sniffing dog in to inspect on January 14th, saying no bedbugs have been seen since.
“DEC takes employee health and safety very seriously,” the NYS DEC said in a statement. “Upon receiving reports of bed bugs in a localized area on one floor in the agency’s headquarters, DEC, as a tenant, immediately partnered with building management and the State Office of General Services to take actions to investigate and eradicate any of the bugs. We have additionally provided staff educational and health resources to help address concerns and to support our employees. DEC and building management are committed to continuing to respond if new bugs are found and exploring any other steps to ensure our staff feel safe in our workplace.”
Though, the union says they believe the communication from management about the issue should have been better.
“Having the labor union take the first steps to notifying employees, you know, our members, it would have been, I think, a better effort if we were on board with management as well, because my concern was is it’s a multi-agency building,” Giddings said. “The Department of Environmental Conservation, their Health and Safety department, could have been a little bit more transparent and could have been a little bit more reactive.”
The Public Employees Federation includes workers beyond the DEC, of which 625 Broadway includes workers from a variety of departments on a variety of floors.
“I think a lot of the concerns were, could it be elsewhere? Such as the floor above? The floor below? You’ve got to remember that there’s 13 floors in this one building, and people on the third floor would visit this floor, the people on the floors above would visit this floor. Bed bugs are hitchhikers, so they could travel from this one floor. And I think that was a main concern with some of the occupants and the employees on that floor,” Giddings said.
So, CBS6 reached out to the NYS Office of General Services, who sent this statement in response:
“The New York State Office of General Services (OGS) is committed to the health and safety of all tenants and is working closely with building management, the tenant, the State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), and the Office of Employee Relations (OER) to address concerns at 625 Broadway in Albany. Reports of bed bugs are addressed immediately, with agency contacts notified the same day and response measures outlined. Building management and OGS assess and treat affected areas, conduct follow-ups, and provide ongoing monitoring. No recent sightings have been reported outside the initial area, and OGS continues to work in partnership with DEC and building management.”
The PEF also says they supplied workers with bedbug guidance for observing and reporting, with a note that bedbugs don’t carry communicable diseases. Because of that, they don’t carry as urgent of a classification as other pests. According to the Department of Health’s website: “They feed on blood, but are not known to spread any diseases to humans. Some people can be allergic to their bites. Getting rid of a bed bug infestation is not easy, but there are steps you can take to control the problem”
CBS6 asked the Department of Health of their role in addressing any concerns in State office buildings, along with this question in an email: “Despite their classification, why it doesn’t appear bedbugs require the same protocols and procedures compared to pests that do carry communicable diseases?”
The Department of Health responded with this statement: “The New York State Department of Health does not play a role in addressing bed bugs. Bed bugs do not carry any communicable diseases. Bed bugs are typically handled through local housing codes.”
They added that more information could be found on the Department’s website.
The union is hoping these agencies engage more proactively moving forward and on a broader basis moving forward.
“It seems to have been controlled, but my ask is to have all the people to become educated and aware with the information provided to them, to watch out whether or not they see them elsewhere or if they see them at home, be careful,” Giddings said. “I think it’s important to everyone involved that’s got stake in this matter to work together. It’s our hope that we do work collaboratively and productively in a partnership manner for this, not only for us, but for the members and everybody, every occupant in that building.”