Local 983 Frozen Out: DC 37 Direct Rep For 'Welfare' Staff

Local 983 Frozen Out
DC 37 Direct Rep For 'Welfare' Staff

District Council 37 delegates May 23 approved a plan to organize 3,000 temporary Parks Department workers training to obtain permanent city employment directly under the control of the union, rather than within one of its 56 locals.

MARK ROSENTHAL: 'Employees will suffer.' The agreement, which was pushed by DC 37's international union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, would establish workers with the title Job Training Participant within the Parks Department's Parks Opportunity Program into a Job Training Participant Association (JTPA).

Rosenthal Objects

DC 37 Local 983 President Mark Rosenthal assailed the plan as a political ploy by DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts to penalize him for his vocal opposition to her leadership.

"I don't believe this plan allows these workers to be serviced," Mr. Rosenthal said in a May 25 phone interview. "I don't think she's done anything for them. She took my members away as punishment. And I think it's outrageous."

Ms. Roberts responded, "What is he talking about? They pay less than half of the dues they would pay if they were members of Local 983. They are in the best possible situation now because I fought hard for them."

JTPs will be able to elect leaders in each borough who will serve up to six months, which is the longest tenure a JTP can work. They will also be represented by one member of the DC 37 delegate body. The agreement does not stipulate if the JTPA will elect the member, or if the choice will be made by DC 37 leadership.

DC 37 won the right to represent the JTPs in 2004 from a Board of Collective Bargaining decision. In January 2005, the state Supreme Court upheld the BCB decision.

The Parks Opportunity Program has placed more than 4,000 JTPs into permanent employment since its inception in 1994.