In February 2025, it was reported that migrant janitors represented by the union 32BJ SEIU were allegedly dismissed and replaced with non-unionized workers at a Boston property partially owned by Carmel Partners, with Greystar as the “new property manager”, according to the Boston Globe.

The workers’ union has been protesting their dismissal and has filed an unfair labour practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), alleging the contractor, ProKeeping, discriminated against the workers by refusing to hire them because they were unionized. The new workers who replaced them will allegedly be hired for lower pay and “few(er) benefits”, as reported to the Boston Globe.

The Boston Globe highlights a wider trend of office buildings being converted into residential accommodation across the city, as more people work from home. It says few residential cleaners are unionised, meaning "cleaning jobs in new apartment complexes would likely be filled by workers without stable union pay and benefits".

In May, the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre invited Carmel Partners, Greystar and ProKeeping respond to the allegations of discrimination against unionized janitors at the Boston property; to disclose steps they have taken to investigate and remedy the unionized workers for the abuses reported; and to disclose the rate of pay, amount of paid time off, health care, and any other benefits currently provided to janitors at The Sudbury.

Additionally, the Resource Centre invited Carmel Partners and Greystar to disclose any human rights due diligence they undertake prior to entering into contracts with contractors and when monitoring working conditions at contractors, and asked ProKeeping to disclose steps it takes to ensure the right to unionization and protection from anti-union discrimination for its janitors. Carmel Partners, Greystar and Prokeeping did not respond.

In June 2025, the Resource Centre invited three alleged investors in Carmel Partners, Lockheed Martin, TIFF Investment Management, and MassMutual, to respond to the reporting and to disclose any human rights due diligence they take to inform their investment decisions, including steps it takes to identify, prevent, mitigate and account for adverse impacts by investee companies. MassMutual responded, saying it is "not an investor in Carmel Partners". Lockheed Martin and TIFF Investment Management did not respond.

In September 2025, it was reported that the National Labor Relations Board issued a complaint alleging the companies at the Boston building discriminated against the eight cleaners when they were replaced with non-unionized workers. The complaint alleges the company that owns the building misdirected the workers to prevent them from re-applying for their old jobs. This was undertaken to allegedly avoid recognizing and bargaining with the union. The complaint also names other actors, including ProKeeping and Greystar.