Draws AFSCME Reprimand
Local 768 Leader Ceases Stonewall

By RICHARD STEIER

The president of Health Service Employees Local 768 of District Council 37 improperly defied his executive board while denying the local's treasurer free access to the union's office, DC 37's international union has concluded.

DARRYL RAMSEY: Violated constitution.

Local 768 President Darryl Ramsey was formally reprimanded by John Seferian, the chairman of the Judicial Panel of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. But although he found him guilty of violating the AFSCME constitution for ignoring a Local 768 board vote requiring him to give Treasurer Bernardino De La Cruz a key to the union office and a membership list, Mr. Seferian acquitted him of the charge that he prevented Mr. De La Cruz from performing his duties as treasurer.

'Work Wasn't Thwarted'

"Financial reports have been submitted on a monthly basis and there is no indication that any financial transactions have been thwarted by the policies instituted by Brother Ramsey," Mr. Seferian stated in dismissing that portion of the complaint against him.

Mr. De La Cruz said Oct. 13 of the ruling, "I'm pretty happy with it for the most part, except for his not finding that he prevented me from doing my job." He said that a day earlier, Mr. Ramsey provided him an office key and a redacted printout of the membership list that omitted personal information including dates of birth, home addresses and Social Security numbers.

Mr. Ramsey did not return a call seeking his reaction to the decision.

Position Tenuous

The Local 768 leader was re-elected by less than a handful of votes last December, and his victory is the subject of a court challenge by the losing candidate, Fitz Reid, because eight ballots were disqualified on the grounds that those who cast them are not union members. Mr. Reid has questioned that finding, charging that Mr. Ramsey's allies on the Local 768 election committee ruled those voters ineligible because they are from the same job title and work location as him and therefore are presumed to be among his supporters.

Most other members of the Local 768 executive board, including Mr. De La Cruz, ran on Mr. Reid's slate last year. Shortly after taking office in February, Mr. De La Cruz sent a memo to Mr. Ramsey requesting keys to the local's office and storage facilities, a printout of the local's membership, and copies of all contracts and other obligations under which Local 768 was operating.

Worked Around Him

Mr. Ramsey denied all those requests, saying that Mr. De La Cruz would be let into the office anytime that he called in advance to arrange it and contending that he was responsible for protecting members' privacy. He also permitted a vice president of the local, Cynthia Bowen, to serve as the second signatory on its checks so that he would not need Mr. De La Cruz's signature.

Mr. De La Cruz challenged that move, noting that the local's constitution permitted only the president, treasurer and executive vice president to be signatories. At a May 23 board meeting, a measure was approved ordering Mr. Ramsey to remove Ms. Bowen as a signatory and give Mr. De La Cruz the membership list and keys to the office.

Another End Run

Mr. Ramsey refused to comply with the board vote, however, and at a general membership meeting in June, persuaded those present to pass a resolution denying Mr. De La Cruz an office key and the membership list. He also attempted to have Ms. Bowen replaced as an authorized signatory by Local 768's executive vice president, Joseph Cooke, even though the reason for not using Mr. Cooke in that capacity was that he suffers from health problems, including limited eyesight.

Mr. Ramsey testified during the hearing before Mr. Seferian that no change in signatories had been made because Mr. Cooke had not been available to go to the bank since the Local 768 leader made the request in early May. Mr. Seferian noted, however, that Mr. Ramsey acknowledged that he didn't need Mr. Cooke to accompany him to remove Ms. Bowen as a signatory.

The attendance at the general membership meeting at the time the vote was taken denying Mr. De La Cruz the office key and membership list was well below the 50 members needed for the vote to be valid, Mr. Seferian concluded. "Even if a valid vote was taken at the June meeting," he stated in his decision, "Brother Ramsey was obligated to immediately turn over the keys and the membership run to Brother De La Cruz following the May executive board meeting."