Worse Than Horses

To the Editor:

In the thinking of the City of New York and its Department of Education, what is the difference between a horse that draws a carriage of tourists and the hard-working School Lunch Aides, who will serve over six million meals to our children this summer?

The answer is the horse is treated far more humanely. N.Y.C. Administrative Code Title 17-330-o.2 mandates that "carriages horses shall not be worked whenever the air temperature is 90 degrees Fahrenheit or above."

While the School Lunch Aides toil away in un-air-conditioned kitchens with temperatures soaring above 100 degrees, the city ensures the horse gets a heat day.

While the School Lunch Aides vomit and faint from the effects of the brutal heat, the city opens "Cooling Centers" throughout the five boroughs for hot residents.

While the School Lunch Aides are compelled to wear heavier uniforms, the Mayor, in shirtsleeves, can brag about the nation's largest summer meal program from air-conditioned City Hall.

Surely, the Mayor can treat the School Lunch Aides as he treats himself, or at least better than a horse.

I join with Assemblywoman Susan John and I urge Governor Spitzer to sign the previously three-time vetoed bill, number A.251A, and use 21st Century technology to end 19th Century working conditions.

JESSIE TEITLER, Local 372