Public Employee Press

Social service workers fight workplace
VIOLENCE

By GREGORY N. HEIRES

Local 371 is spearheading a campaign to toughen the penalty for attacks on social service workers.

The local is working to make assaulting a social service worker a Class D felony with a penalty of up to seven years in jail.

"Our members are frequently suffering assaults at work, and they need greater legal protection," Local 371 President Anthony Wells said. "Our desire is not to criminalize clients. We simply want to deter workplace violence by strengthening the penalty for physically harming social service employees."

Michelle Akyempong, the local's vice president of legislation and political action, said the bill is similar to legislation that protects other public service workers, such as Bus Operators, public school Nurses and Traffic Enforcement Agents. "It's only fair that we should have the same protection," she said. Social Service Employees Union Local 371 hopes the state Legislature will pass the bill (A. 672/S. 00641) by the end of the year.

CLIMATE OF FEAR

"I am for it 1,000 percent," said Supervisor 2 Badatunde Oke, who has been out on disability since a homeless shelter client assaulted him last year. Oke suffered injuries to his left shoulder, left knee and back as he attempted to restrain the client, who had pushed a co-worker against a wall. His co-worker is also out on disability.

Job Opportunity Specialist Anthony Hill was assaulted in March by a client who was enraged over being denied assistance. Hill suffered neck and back injuries, and he is being treated for post-traumatic stress disorder.

"We are always on the watch," Hill said, describing the climate of fear among workers at the Job Opportunity Center on Rider Ave. in the Bronx. "There are five or six incidents a day here, not necessarily violence but outbursts by clients that could turn violent," he said. Out on disability, he is unsure whether he will ever return to work.

In June, Eddie Rodriguez, president of DC 37 and of Clerical-Administrative Employees Local 1549, wrote state Assembly member Joseph R. Lentol and state Sen. Martin J. Golden to thank them for sponsoring the bill.

"Local 1549 social service members are on the front lines, giving the public information related to acceptance and denial of critical benefits," Rodriguez wrote. "In a number of tragic instances during the eligibility determination they have been assaulted by frustrated clients, sometimes with family members joining in the assault."

At least 100 Local 1549 members at the Human Resources Administration were assaulted from 1998 to 2009, according to the local. Eligibility Specialist Purdy Roberts was stabbed more than 10 times by a client. Eligibility Specialist Claudia Barrow has been unable to return to work since a client's boyfriend beat her in 2001.

WORKPLACE SAFEGUARDS

Addressing workplace violence now accounts for most of the work of the DC 37 Safety and Health Dept., Director Lee Clarke said.

The union is working with city agencies on risk assessments and to set up policies and procedures to protect workers at job sites throughout the city. A 2006 law on workplace violence directs governments to include unions in this process. The Bloomberg administration refused to involve the unions until the state Dept. of Labor won a lawsuit on the issue.

Clarke praised Local 371 for initiating the campaign to win legal protections for social service workers. She also noted that the union's goal is to have such protection extended to all public employees. Political Action and Legislative Director Wanda Williams said the union is working with the council's 55 locals to support lobbying to exand the coverage of the law to cover all members.

Each year, nearly 2 million workers are victimized by workplace violence, according to the U.S. Labor Dept. Government employees are at greater risk than private-sector workers, according to the Justice Dept. Public-service workers are less than 20 percent of the workforce, but they suffer 30 percent of workplace violence.