Public Employee Press

Court staff in Local 1070 press for safer working conditions

“After pay, the most important thing for a working person is to have a decent place to work,” said Clifford Koppelman, president of Court, County and Department of Probation Employees Local 1070. Yet at 60 Centre St. in Manhattan and 88-11 Sutphin Blvd. in Queens, safety and health committee members and union reps have had limited success as they press constantly to correct serious violations.

White Collar Division Council Rep Chris Wilgenkamp explained: “The Office of Court Administration is the employer. OCA pays for the Dept. of Citywide Administrative Services to maintain the sites, but obviously they are not properly maintained.”

“It’s very frustrating,” said Shop Steward Richie Beresford. “It seems that you’re just pushing the ball uphill.”

“Sixty Centre Street is one of the busiest courthouses in the country,” said Grievance Rep Steve Schwartz. “Management makes things cosmetically nice, but it’s rotting from inside.”

A tour of the imposing building revealed the problems. Court Aide Lisa Caprice pointed to a counter in her work area that is used by employees and the public to get court documents. “If we don’t tape over the metal there, we get shocked. The place is infested with bugs. They come up from the basement. We also have to tape down the dividers on the floor, or else we trip,” she said.

Senior Court Office Assistant Darth Harrell hates to see winter come. “I’ve worked here in room 109B for 22 years,” she said. “It gets extremely cold. I have to sit here with a hat, two jackets, and a coat — and I’m still cold.” Both sites share a long list of problems and histories of frustrating efforts to get remedies. Unmarked fire exits and the lack of emergency action plans top the agenda.

“I feel for our members, because I’m concerned about their health and safety,” said Tom De Rosa, co-chair of the Safety Committee. Guille Mejia, Principal Program Coordinator for DC 37’s Safety and Health Dept., said, “The bottom line is that there should be complete oversight by both agencies — OCA and DCAS.”