When sales of an alcohol-free hand sanitizer go up 2,000 percent in one week, you know cleanliness is getting attention.

"We always keep things clean, but when there's a scare like with the recent swine flu, then we really get to work disinfecting," said Tony Sinkfield, a head custodian and member of the New Rochelle Federation of United School Employees. "I've been a custodian 31 years and while some things change, one thing stays the same: The single best way to stop spreading germs is to wash your hands, and disinfect all the surfaces that we all touch every day."

Keeping things clean in schools starts with having custodial staff available. Delegates to the union's annual convention in Buffalo acknowledged the essential role of custodial staff in schools and colleges by directing the union to seek state regulations on custodial staffing standards that ensure professional and effective school cleanliness and maintenance. Delegates also charged the union with developing model contract language for staffing levels.

Like many, Steve Reich knows the value of a custodian. "Think about the title itself: A custodian is entrusted with guarding and maintaining a property," said the president of the Valhalla Teachers Association. "We all rely on our custodians to have the schools ready for us before we start our day, and they take care of everything that comes up during the day. They know the buildings, the kids, the staff and they are essential to making schools work."