Unwarranted Guild Attack

To the Editor:

I am writing in response to Mike Gimbel's letter, "Guild Critic Irresponsible" in the July 11 edition. Mr. Gimbel appears to have some type of obsessive-compulsive disorder, being he named me 21 times in what amounts to a nine-paragraph letter.

He calls me "irresponsible," but as The Chief has shown, Mr. Gimbel is the one who is. All one has to do is search The Chief's archived records and compare Mr. Gimbel's far left-wing radical "progressive" positions to those that I stand for and have fought for. He is known for his rhetoric, and his last letter proves he hasn't lost the knack.

First, Mr. Gimbel stated that the two days release time that the former Civil Service Technical Guild Chapter 8 President Steve Awad received was no secret. This is a gross misstatement of fact. As I stated in my letter, it was "exposed" during the summer months of 2007 that Mr. Awad was receiving the two days. The local's leadership never disclosed this fact during any executive board meeting, nor was it disclosed in any memos, reports or meeting minutes that the local was receiving two additional paid agency release days on top of the 20 mayoral paid weekly release days known to all board members.

Secondly, he challenges my claim that I should be asking for release time from the Housing Authority. Wonder of wonders, Mr. Gimbel. Shouldn't you be arguing that all chapter presidents should be receiving release time to serve their chapter constituents instead of attacking chapter presidents asking the local to obtain release time for them? Who is arguing anti-union acts now? I can't express how many times I have taken my personal time in assisting my many members in writing grievances for them, assisting them in disciplinary problems, explaining the rules of the union and employee procedures, etc. ... All done on my time when it should be done under paid weekly release. But the union plays favorites, as we see with the removal of release time from the Chapter 2 officials.

Thirdly, he chastises me for voting against his New Orleans resolution to keep their public housing developments from being torn down. Once again Mr. Gimbel puts his left-wing socialistic nose into matters that shouldn't concern him. Of course I voted against his resolution, and you and all your readers would have also if they knew the truth like I did. Mr. Gimbel brings President Bush into his attack on me, but he had nothing to do with the razing of the New Orleans public housing structures. It was under the direct order of the New Orleans Housing Authority's board, which voted unanimously to tear down all the structures. Why, you may ask? Because of a little storm that Mr. Gimbel may have forgotten about named Hurricane Katrina. The buildings slated to be torn down were contaminated with mold and mildew that could not be sanitized. I guess Mr. Gimbel would have wanted the returning public housing tenants to become sick and maybe diseased? And by the way, Mr. Gimbel, I have attended two lobby days in Albany at my own expense to ask our state officials to contribute capital funding for the 15 former state-owned housing developments that the Housing Authority is now responsible for.

Fourthly, he attacks me for wanting to get better pay for my members by using the Tech Guild's collective-bargaining certificate to directly negotiate with the city instead of through District Council 37. As I stated in a previous letter, I respect all city workers and the work they do, but I believe special consideration should be given for the education and technical knowledge that my "professional" members of the Technical Guild bring forth every day. This is not elitist, but a union official fighting for better pay for his constituents.

My union members, who I am very proud of and honored to be among, are responsible for DNA analysis, anthrax testing, testing and protecting the potable water supply, criminal investigations, keeping the buildings and structures (bridges, roadways, sewer plants, hospitals, etc.) safe for operation and use, expanding and keeping the many parkgrounds in usable condition and responsible for most of all the city's new or renovated construction projects. And I didn't even mention the Traffic Dept. (DOT) or my HPD members and the work they do, or the city planners, or the scientists and lab technicians at the Medical Examiner's Office and in the hospital system. It's about time the city's administration treated the Tech Guild employees as the true professionals they are. They all deserve a step-pay plan like all the uniform services personnel and Teachers have. This can only be accomplished by direct negotiation with the city.

Mr. Gimbel claims that my actions are anti-union. Nothing could be further from the truth. I guess he forgot that as the former Chair of the local's Anti-Privatization Committee, I personally orchestrated the Guild's public fight against the Giuliani Administration's attempt to replace the more-than 60 Tech Guild Construction Management staff at Ground Zero by awarding a $27.5-million contract to the Bechtel Corp. I was responsible for putting Local 375 on the radio where we were able to voice our opposition while directing the union's testimony before the City Council Hearing too. Because of my efforts, the local was able to defeat the city's privatization attempt of our jobs at Ground Zero. AFSCME, our international union, would later acknowledge this victory by issuing the local a national anti-privatization recognition award.

In conclusion, Mr. Gimbel accuses me of writing "propaganda." I cannot disagree more. I have always held myself to the highest standards of getting the facts right and expressing myself as the union's staunchest defender of democracy, honest elections, parliamentary protocol and union transparency. My track record proves it. Now that Mr. Gimbel is on the local's payroll (two days per week), can it be said that Mr. Gimbel has now become President Claude Fort's defender by attacking the Guild's most outspoken democratic reformer?

MITCHELL FEDER, CLC Delegate and Chapter 25 President,
Civil Service Technical Guild Local 375