Public Employee Press

Union asks guarantees on HHC food plan

By ALFREDO ALVARADO

A fired up contingent of 400 Local 420 members led by President Carmen Charles filled a public hearing room Nov. 23 at Kings County Hospital Center and demonstrated their deep anxiety over a plan to contract out the management of hospital food services operations.

The hearing involved the proposed lease of the cook-chill plant at KCH to a private contractor, a central part of the Health and Hospitals Corp. plan to expand the cook-chill method throughout the public hospitals under private management.

Some HHC food is already produced by the cook-chill method — cooked and refrigerated until it is needed.

Municipal hospital workers have received reassuring answers to their fears that the plan could cause layoffs. Frank J. Cirillo, HHC’s senior vice president of operations, promised DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts in writing that there would be no layoffs of full-time employees.

Under the plan, dietary staff would remain HHC employees, covered by existing union contracts and HHC’s Personnel Rules and Regulations and Operating Procedures. The corporation’s labor relations offices would continue to handle disciplinary cases and grievances.

DC 37 Assistant Associate Director Henry Garrido addressed the hearing on behalf of Ms. Roberts. “DC 37 shares a deep commitment to HHC’s mission to provide the best possible medical care to all New Yorkers,” said her statement. “We want to go forward together, as long as union members’ jobs and the quality of services they provide are guaranteed. These are bottom-line issues for the union.”

Ms. Roberts is leading a union team in discussions with HHC management on issues such as plans for part-time workers, redeployment, training funds and the transition process. “We want an agreement in writing before the HHC Board of Directors is asked to approve the lease agreement and management contract.”

Ms. Charles and several union members stepped up to the microphone to express their concerns about the proposed plan to HHC President Dr. Benjamin Chu.

“Dietary workers are health care workers, and nutrition is a part of health care,” said Sabrina Dotson, who works at the Dr. Susan Smith McKinney Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Brooklyn.

People before profits
“Food service is not about profits and money,” said Sandra Munroe, who works at Jacobi Hospital in the Bronx. “Food service is about quality patient care.”

Early in 2005, HHC hopes to enter into a lease agreement that will bring in close to $1 million a year from a vendor that will manage and completely renovate the cook-chill plant at Kings County — a $39 million job. The plan will result in “a guaranteed minimum annual savings to the HHC of $10 million per year,” said the letter to Ms. Roberts.

As this issue of PEP went to press, the HHC Board of Directors was scheduled to meet on Dec. 16 to decide whether to move forward with plans to enter into negotiations with two private contractors.