Merry Maids
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 The Merry Maids logo | |
 A Merry Maids service vehicle | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Service |
| Founded | 1979 |
| Headquarters | Memphis, Tennessee |
Number of employees | 8,000+ (in 2007) |
| Parent | ServiceMaster |
| Website | merrymaids.com |
Merry Maids is an international franchisor which sells and supports residential cleaning services franchises throughout the United States, Canada, Toronto and the GTA and the United Kingdom.[1]: 298 [2]: 94 Merry Maids was founded in 1979, and was acquired by ServiceMaster in 1988.[1]: 298 [3]: 140 In 2007, the company had 1,400 independently owned and operated franchises worldwide and over 8,000 employees.[1]: 298
Timeline
Labor relations
Several Merry Maids franchisees in the United States have been sued by their employees and by United States federal agencies for labor law violations.[5]: 219 In 2015, the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit upheld an unfair labor practice order issued by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against a Merry Maids franchisee, Merry Maids of Boston, in a dispute over the right of a labor union to hold a union representation election among its employees. The First Circuit ruled that the NLRB had jurisdiction in the case, and rejected the franchisee's claim that the behavior of certain employees made a fair election impossible.[6]: 4 [5]: 219
Safety record
In 2015, Northampton's Merry Maids franchise was awarded a Governor’s Award for Safety Excellence by the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, with a record of no work-related injuries for over 1,580 days and no work-related fatalities in 23 years of operation.[7]: 31