Public Employee Press

Dental Assistants fight furloughs

Despite the surplus of over $ 4 billion in city coffers, the Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene has plans to furlough 21 Dental Assistants for the summer, effective June 29. The Dental Assistants, members of Local 768, will return to their jobs in September but during the summer months will receive no salary or health insurance coverage.

Local 768 President Darryl Ramsey testified before the City Council’s Committee on Health on May 18 to try and stop the summer furloughs.
“They claim they are streamlining services and shutting down unused dental chairs, but there are hundreds of backlogged appointments that can be scheduled over the summer and there are many complicated dental procedures that need to be completed,” said Ramsey. According to the local president, the payless time off will save DOHMH a grand total of $81,200.

The DOHMH operates more than 65 Oral Health Clinics in the city; only 11 will remain open during the summer. All of the school-based
facilities will be closed and patients will be redirected to the health clinics.