97 Face Layoff
Job Fair to Assist ACS Caseworkers

By MEREDITH KOLODNER

City officials last week said they would hold a job fair for 97 Caseworkers who d been scheduled for dismissal this week, but city lawyers filed papers to fight the union's request to halt the rest of the 650 planned layoffs.

CHARLES ENSLEY: 'Holding ACS's feet to fire.'

Officials at the Administration for Children's Services showed no inclination to back down from their plan, announced last month, to restructure their foster care system and phase out 650 Caseworkers.

Union Skeptical

The 97 provisional Caseworkers will be allowed to attend the job fair later this month on city time. It will feature comparable positions at ACS and other city agencies at no cut in salary. Decisions about placement will be made in early May. But union officials said they did not feel fully confident that the city would make good on its commitment.

"My personal experience with this agency is that you have to continually be vigilant," said Charles Ensley, the president of Local 371 of District Council 37. "The clear implication was that they would have jobs for [all 97 provisionals], but it's not ironclad and I'm going to hold their feet to the fire on it."

Local 371 officials filed four improper labor practice charges March 30, in an effort to get an injunction to stop the plan and all 650 layoffs. The city responded last week, arguing that the planned changes "are clearly management rights that do not require bargaining."

'Should Be Arbitrated'

City lawyers also contended that the case should be deferred to arbitration because the issue is one of contract interpretation and because the agency notified the union of its plans before implementing them.

Union officials maintain that the changes ACS is seeking to job titles and responsibilities must be negotiated with the union. The current union contract does not contain a no-layoff clause.

Officials from the Office of Labor Relations, ACS and the Department of Citywide Administrative Services met with Local 371 and DC 37 leaders on April 8 to discuss the job fair and the placement of the 97 employees.

City officials repeated their assurances that there would be job opportunities for all of the 650 Caseworkers. ACS's plan calls for hiring 500 workers in a range of titles. ACS is also budgeted to hire 80 Child Protective Specialists each month over the next couple of years.

Still at issue is whether the job placement process for the 97 provisionals will require interviews of the workers. The union maintains that because the workers have already been hired, trained and have college degrees, no interviews should be necessary.

The jobs available are at ACS, the Department of Health, and the Health and Hospitals Corporation. Some positions will likely be made available at the Human Resources Administration.

If workers decide they do not want the job offered to them, they will receive layoff notices. The union will hold another meeting with the affected 650 workers this week to discuss next steps.