HHC per diems win upgrading
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By ALFREDO ALVARADO
Municipal Hospital Employees Union Local 420 made tremendous progress
in a longstanding battle recently as the Health and Hospitals Corp.
upgraded 106 per diem workers to full-time per annum status.
“This is a major victory,” said DC 37 Executive Director
Lillian Roberts. “We want to have this implemented throughout
the whole public hospital system.”
The members primarily work as Dietary Aides and Housekeeping Aides
at Coler/Goldwater Hospital on Roosevelt Island, Jacobi in the Bronx
and Woodhull Hospital in Brooklyn. The status change was put into
effect on Aug. 30.
As full-time per annum employees, the workers are entitled to all
benefits covered by the citywide collective bargaining contract
on non-wage issues and are entitled to all of the benefits of full-time
per annum employees. Technically, per diem employees are hired and
paid on a daily basis; per annum means yearly.
DC 37 and Local 420 have battled long and hard to expand the rights
of per diems and upgrade many to per annum full-time status.
“We’ve finally gotten HHC to see the light,” said
Pat Brooks, director of the DC 37 Hospitals Division. “After
many years, every worker deserves to have a full-time per annum
job.”
“I feel much more secure now,” said Jesus Zabala, a Housekeeping
Aide who has worked for two years as a per diem at Coler/Goldwater
Hospital.
Housekeeping Aide Migdalia Trimino was on the job as a per diem
from 1999 until her recent upgrading. “This is wonderful for
me,” said Ms. Trimino.
Local 420 President Carmen Charles credited the victory to the union’s
constant pressure for the upgradings and commended the efforts of
Coler/Goldwater Executive Director Samuel Lehrfeld. “He deserves
a lot of credit for helping to improve this situation,” said
Ms. Charles, who also acknowledged the support of HHC President
Dr. Benjamin Chu.
Ms. Charles said the local is determined to keep up the pressure
on HHC. “I’m going to continue advocating that HHC curtail
the use of per diem workers,” said Ms. Charles.
“The use of per diems ends up undermining the union and depriving
employees of their rights,” she said.
“It’s about time,” said Ester Lopez of the recent
upgrading. Lopez has worked as a per diem Dietary Aide at Coler/Goldwater
on Roosevelt Island for five years. “Now we’ll have all
of the benefits that we deserve.”