Alvina Hamm, a City Seasonal Aide in upper Manhattan,
was assaulted by a co-worker then fired by her supervisor with no
way to appeal the disciplinary decree.
She is one of 100 CSAs in Motor Vehicle Operators Local 983 unjustly
fired in recent months who had no formal recourse until DC 37 and
Local 983 stepped in.
In an unprecedented agreement with the New York City Parks Dept.
that went into effect in November, the union won the right to review
disciplinary actions for City Seasonal Aides.
"This is another victory on the path to social justice for
our members," said Local 983 President Mark Rosenthal. For
the last two years, he and DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts
have led a struggle for unionized jobs for participants in the federally
funded Parks Opportunity Program.
The agreement gives 3,000 CSAs, who mostly are former welfare recipients,
the right to a review - should they be unjustly terminated or if
other work-related problems arise - starting on their first day.
Before this agreement, crafted with help from DC 37's Michele Trester,
job protections for CSAs kicked in after two years as city employees,
and CSAs in the POP program had no protections.
The new pact holds Parks Dept. management more accountable to HRA
guidelines, Mr. Rosenthal said. The department also agreed to provide
sensitivity training for park supervisors.
"CSAs who are unjustly terminated are now entitled to review,"
said DC 37 Council Rep Pat Mitchell. "This does not guarantee
they'll get their job back, but at least we have a process to plead
their case as to why they should not be fired."
"It's a new day in labor relations between the Parks Dept.
and DC 37," said Mr. Rosenthal. "Commissioner Adrian Benepe
showed compassion, saw there was a problem and addressed it with
a substantive step in the right direction."
—Diane S. Williams