Public Employee Press

Arbitrator busts NYPD on training for 911 Techs

When you call 911, you put your life in the hands of the workers who answer the emergency telephones and dispatch ambulance crews, firefighters and police. You hope they are well trained.

But the New York Police Dept. has failed to cooperate with the union in implementing training for the Police Communication Technicians and Senior PCTs, said the arbitrator who recently busted the NYPD for violating the Local 1549 contract and ordered the agency to meet quickly with the union.

“This decision will result in a win-win situation for the department and for our members at the Metrotech Call Center, who will receive more consistent and improved training,” said Local 1549 President Eddie Rodriguez.

SPCT Alma Roper described her stressful job and inadequate training at the hectic 911 operation. For years the Police Dept. has made the workers use their breaks for 5-to-20-minute training sessions where a training officer reads manuals aloud amid constant disruptions as workers float in and out according to their break times.

“Dispatching is one of the hardest jobs in the city,” said Roper, who chaired the local’s PCT/SPCT Chapter and is now a grievance rep. As first responders, PCTs and SPCTs determine the nature of the emergency and relay the information to the EMS and the Fire and Police departments. “We need constant training,” she said. The number of codes and extensions 911 operators must know has doubled since 9/11.

Local 1549 repeatedly asked management to improve the training, and finally Roper and four others filed the grievance and Council Rep Sheila Rabb moved it toward arbitration.

Critical testimony came from DC 37 Education Fund Administrator Barbara Kairson. “Simply reading material does not allow for maximum retention of information or assessment,” she explained. “Effective training should include several methodologies, because people learn in different ways, and it should provide for discussion and feedback.”

“The contract is clear that the NYPD must cooperate with the union to develop and implement adequate training,” said DC 37 Attorney Thomas Cooke, who handled the arbitration. The issue will be addressed in Local 1549’s next monthly labor-management meeting at Metrotech. “This is the beginning of a process that we hope will ultimately lead to better training,” said Clerical Division Director Ron Harris.