Public Employee Press

Grim holidays for laid-off members
Union sues DOE to reverse layoffs

By ALFREDO ALVARADO

The battle to get back the jobs of the 642 Local 372 members the Dept. of Education laid off in October escalated Nov. 16 when the union announced a major lawsuit against DOE.

The suit charges that DOE fired the support staff in bad faith and in violation of the State Education Law and asks the court to overturn the layoffs. DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts, Associate Director Henry Garrido and Local 372 President Santos Crespo Jr. unveiled the court action Nov. 16 at a news conference.

"These layoffs are irresponsible, unfair and unjust," Roberts said. "It's outrageous that DOE lays off workers who make as little as $14,000 a year while the city squanders billions of dollars on contracts like CityTime and Future Technology Associates that are riddled with fraud and waste." She charged that the laid-off workers and the communities they serve "are paying the price for the Bloomberg administration's gross mismanagement of taxpayers' dollars."

"We hope the courts can see the blatant deceit by the DOE when they laid off these members," said Crespo. "We want a swift and positive resolution that will get these hard-working people back to their jobs."

In the lawsuit the union argues that the layoffs were done in bad faith because DOE refused to seriously consider alternatives.

"We made proposals to cut DOE costs by more than enough money to save these jobs," explained Crespo. "But they rejected them outright without any further discussions." The union offered a combination of furloughs when school was not in session and a reduction in hours.

Jackson stands with DC 37

Garrido charged that the layoffs are "retaliation against the union for not letting the mayor dip into our Health Stabilization Fund."

The suit shows that by requiring all schools to absorb the same 3.26 percent cut, when schools in poorer neighborhoods lack the fundraising resources of wealthier districts, DOE violated the law that requires "equitable" distribution of funding reductions considering schools' "relative needs."

"There is obvious racial and socioeconomic disparity in the way the city produced the layoff list," said Crespo. Most of the job losses, he said, hit neighborhoods like East New York, Brownsville, Williamsburg, South Jamaica and the South Bronx.

Garrido explained that DOE had "money that could have saved these jobs," but instead set aside $25.7 million from increased Medicaid revenue to fund charter schools and $47.6 million for supplies.

At the news conference, City Council Education Chair Robert Jackson expressed his uncompromising support for the laid-off workers. "I stand with DC 37 and Local 372," he said.

While fighting to reverse the layoffs, the union held a job and support services fair Oct. 20 to help the members get back on their feet. The event included a résumé-writing workshop and representatives from DC 37 benefits, the state Labor Dept., the City University and Metro Plus participated.

"I love my job and the kids," said laid-off Staten Islander Mary Ellen, who came to the job fair although she hopes to return to work at Brooklyn's Edward R. Murrow High School. "The mayor needs to actually visit some schools and see what the workers he fired do for the children."

"We will not go away silently," promised Crespo. "Our children, our teachers and our communities deserve better."