PEP, Dec. 2002: Assaults hit Juvenile Counselors.

Public Employee Press

Assaults hit Juvenile Counselors
Thirty members of Local 1457 told the City Council that the Dept. of Juvenile Justice must do more to stop violence against counselors by residents at three youth detention centers.

"We are just numbers to the agency"

My neck, my lower back and my throat were hurt when a resident tried to put me in a headlock and I broke away.

Because the paperwork didn't go through after I went out, they withheld my check and I didn't get paid for two weeks. I was worried that my pay was cut off permanently, so I had to cash in a $3,000 CD.

They cut me off again in October when my request for an extended leave grant was being processed. They misplaced my file at the New York City Law Dept., so they didn't start processing my Workers Comp case until recently. I've had to dip into my savings just to survive.
Nobody from the Department of Juvenile Justice ever called me after the assault.

As far as I am concerned, I don't think the agency really gives a damn. To them, we are all just numbers.

— Stephen Hill, Juvenile Counselor

"They make us feel like the criminal"

If you're injured, they give special leave grants for 45 days, but you have to keep returning downtown with a doctor's note to be paid. You could easily do this by fax or mail. They insist you do it in person. It makes you feel like a criminal.

I hurt my back when a girl grabbed me by the hair and tossed me to the ground and fell on top of me. I stayed at work because I couldn't afford the time off. But I went on leave after two months, because I couldn't stand the pain any more.
Because of a delay on my second grant, I went a month without pay. I fell behind on my $1,200 mortgage and had to send my children to my mother to eat.

Thanks to the union, I am now covered by a contract, which gives members injured on the job 18 months with pay and benefits.

— Edith De La Rosa, Juvenile Counselor

By GREGORY N. HEIRES

Working 24/7 at the city's three detention centers, Juvenile Counselors face the constant threat of assaults. If they are injured, they risk falling into poverty when they remain out of work on leave.

Members injured on the job say they run into bureaucratic roadblocks when they apply for temporary leave grants from the Dept. of Juvenile Justice while they are unable to work and when they file for Workers' Compensation.

Furthermore, New York City Juvenile Center Employees Local 1457 charges that the agency's training is dangerously inadequate for counselors to protect themselves from residents at the centers, which house youths who face charges ranging from shoplifting to murder.

Counselors also complain about significant security lapses.

Thirty counselors accompanied Local 1457 President Alex Parker to a hearing before the City Council Subcommittee on Juvenile Justice on Oct. 24 to call attention to the violence and to demand greater protections. Vice President Charles Grant and three members injured in assaults—Stephen Hill, Edith De La Rosa and Sylvia Clarke—also testified.

"Faced with economic hardship, some counselors feel compelled to return to work prematurely, risking the aggravation of their injuries and jeopardizing their safety," Mr. Parker told subcommittee, which is chaired by James E. Davis. The staff must be increased to help stem the violence and improve care for the residents, he said.

Mr. Parker said the local union is fighting for a "line of duty injury" policy. A LODI would insure that counselors—like Police Officers, Correctional Officers and Firefighters—would retain their pay while they recuperate from on-the-job injuries.
Thirty-nine counselors were assaulted by residents in fiscal year 2002, which ended June 30.

Counselors often face "frivolous child abuse allegations" from residents, Mr. Parker said. Rather than investigate, the agency typically brings up the accused counselors on departmental charges and imposes sanctions, subjecting them to lost wages and benefits, he said.

"It is an outrage that you have injuries to show that you are on the front line," City Council member Davis said. Counselors "should be provided with the proper training and resources they need," he said.