ABM Insists on Lawful Protection of Houston Workers' Rights.

SAN FRANCISCO -- ABM Industries Incorporated (NYSE:ABM) today responded to recent attempts by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) to intimidate janitorial workers in Houston, Texas and violate provisions of its agreements in several cities around the country.

"As we've said all along, we would welcome a resolution of the Houston situation," said ABM CEO Henrik Slipsager. "If the workers in Houston wish to have an election on whether to organize, we'll gladly support such an outcome.

"We're mystified as to what is truly driving the SEIU's actions here, but we cannot -- and will not -- compromise our workers' rights. We have a long track record of treating our workers well. We're one of the most unionized companies in the industry. And we're willing to conduct a secret ballot election, consistent with America's time-honored tradition of permitting its citizens to vote in private in every election from local school boards to U.S. President.

"Our position remains very simple: The workers must be treated fairly and the laws must be followed. We are very disappointed that SEIU has chosen to violate the terms of its labor agreements in several cities over the past week," he added.

SEIU has been attempting to organize janitors in Houston for the past two years. Typically, a union organizes employees by filing for a secret ballot election where workers can choose -- in private -- whether to be unionized. In Houston, SEIU declined to seek a traditional secret ballot election and instead decided to pursue what is called a "card check." Further, SEIU sought an agreement from ABM to remain neutral in the Houston "card check," arbitrarily imposed a July 15 deadline and commenced sporadic labor actions against ABM in several cities around the country.

ABM Janitorial Services is the largest unionized janitorial company in the U.S., with approximately 53% of its workforce covered by organized labor. The company and SEIU have a constructive relationship dating back more than 50 years.

In the meantime, "the company is well prepared for any eventuality," said Jim McClure, President of ABM Janitorial Services. "ABM is serving all of its customers and will continue to do so. It has in place extensive contingency plans to maintain the same high quality service to its clients in every local market," he added. Some of ABM's preparations include the creation of mobile cleaning crews that can be dispatched quickly to areas of need. ABM is also willing to work with customers to establish gates reserved for ABM employees, and to provide other assistance that customers might require.

ABM has received unequivocal support from all of the major building owner associations in its markets, including New York, Chicago and Philadelphia.

"We remain willing to meet with SEIU to reach resolution on the Houston situation, but only on the condition that such meetings take place in an atmosphere free of threats or coercion," concluded Slipsager.

About ABM Industries:

ABM Industries Incorporated is among the largest facility services contractors listed on the New York Stock Exchange. With fiscal 2004 revenues in excess of $2.4 billion and more than 73,000 employees, ABM provides janitorial, parking, security, engineering and lighting services for thousands of commercial, industrial, institutional and retail facilities in hundreds of cities across the United States and British Columbia, Canada. The ABM Family of Services includes ABM Janitorial; Ampco System Parking; ABM Security, which includes American Commercial Security (ACSS) and Security Services of America (SSA); ABM Facility Services; ABM Engineering; and Amtech Lighting Services.

Cautionary Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

This press release contains forward-looking statements that set forth management's anticipated results based on management's plans and assumptions. Any number of factors could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: (1) acquisition activity slows or is unsuccessful; (2) an increase in costs that the Company cannot pass on to customers; (3) intense competition that lowers revenue or reduces margins; (4) a change in actuarial analysis that causes an unanticipated change in insurance reserves; (5) a change in the frequency or severity of claims against the Company, a deterioration in claims management, or the cancellation or non-renewal of the Company's primary insurance policies; (6) a decline in commercial office building occupancy rates lowers sales and profitability; (7) financial difficulties or bankruptcy of a major customer; (8) major labor disputes that disrupt business; (9) the loss of long-term customers; (10) weakness in airline travel and the hospitality industry that affects the results of the Company's Parking segment; (11) low levels of capital investments by customers that impacts project sales of the Lighting segment; (12) the Company's significant accounting and other control costs increase; (13) an adverse internal control evaluation under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act affects ABM's stock price; and (14) other issues and uncertainties that may include: labor shortages that adversely affect the Company's ability to employ entry level personnel, a reduction or revocation of the Company's line of credit that increases interest expense and the cost of capital, legislation or other governmental action that detrimentally impacts the Company's expenses or reduces sales by adversely affecting the Company's customers such as state or locally mandated healthcare benefits, new accounting pronouncements or changes in accounting policies, impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets, the resignation, termination, death or disability of one or more of the Company's key executives that adversely affects customer retention or day-to-day management of the Company, and inclement weather that disrupts the Company in providing services. Additional information regarding these and other risks and uncertainties the Company faces is contained in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and in other reports it files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.