Alaska News

Sick union members start blog about leaky Juneau building

The Juneau Empire reports that union members working at the Alaska Department of Labor Building were dismayed to hear that the state renewed a five-year lease for the water-damaged workspace.

The building, nicknamed "The Plywood Palace," has been subject to numerous complaints of water damage and claims of subsequent illness due to mold allergies. Now union members have taken the matter into their own hands, by starting a blog to document the issue.

The site, Water-Damaged Building Information, features medical literature on mold, a page on how to file a Workers' Compensation claim, and multiple photos of the water-damaged building, located at 1111 W. 8th St., in Juneau.

Jade Bickmore, employee security analyst with the state of Alaska, told the Empire that she receives calls nearly every day from upset employees whose managers or doctors don't believe they have an illness triggered by mold in the building.

"I've gotten medical books, I've gone to Center for Disease Control, Occupational Safety and Health Agency Environmental Protection Agency, World Health Organization and the Mayo Clinic and across the board they say people can be affected by mold," Bickmore said. "Where do you go when you have health issues and it seems to be directly tied to a workplace and building that is known to have mold?"

Read more, here, and see the (gross) photos, here.

Craig Medred

Craig Medred is a former writer for the Anchorage Daily News, Alaska Dispatch and Alaska Dispatch News. He left the ADN in 2015.

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