Public Employee Press

Med Examiner hires new City Morgue Techs

The hiring of 11 City Morgue Techs recently by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner showed again the city's need for municipal employees, despite its official hiring freeze.

"This is the first time the OCME has hired a group this size. You are here, hired for this job because there is a real need and plenty of work," DC 37 Hospitals Division Director Audrey McConney told the new workers Jan. 16.

Grievance Rep Sharon Bankhead and Local 420 2nd Vice President Togba Porte also welcomed the newest group of young and enthusiastic Local 420 members at OCME headquarters on First Avenue in Manhattan. The union leaders explained the new members' union rights and benefits, presented a brief history of the labor movement and urged the new CMTs to get involved with DC 37, Local 420, and the union's Next Wave program for future labor leaders.

"Ours is a humble and noble profession," said Porte, one of the approximately 75 City Morgue Techs who transport the dead and assist with autopsies. "We bring closure to the families and we dignify the person even in death," he said, "with respect for ourselves and for others."

To counter the staffing shortages at OCME brought on by attrition and the citywide hiring freeze, Bankhead worked closely with management to recruit new hires and increase the number of CMTs in each borough.

"The stress of this job takes a serious emotional and physical toll on workers," said Bankhead. After the 9/11attacks 11 years ago, she was instrumental in establishing special group and personal counseling to cope with the job-related stress. The counseling is offered through DC 37's Personal Services Unit for workers in the OCME City Morgue Tech title and their families.