Public Employee Press

Union team blasts Bloomberg for lack of planning
Dangerously unprepared
City Council hearings on Sandy

By ALFREDO ALVARADO


At City Council hearings in January, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and his administration came under heavy criticism for their inadequate preparations for the onslaught of Hurricane Sandy.

Leaders of several DC 37 locals told City Council members at the hearing that the mayor's lack of planning had put the lives of union members in danger. Testimony from DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts - delivered by Field Operations Director Barbara Edmonds - also blasted his policy of making city employees who could not get to work because of flooding and transportation shutdowns use their own annual leave time.

"Penalizing employees who could not report to work through no fault of their own is unreasonable and unconscionable," said Edmonds. DC 37 is pursuing a grievance against the mayor's policy (see page 3).

Prior to the start of the hearings on Jan. 16, Local 2507 President Israel Miranda and Local 3621 President Vincent Variale held a news conference on the steps of City Hall, where they pulled no punches in their criticism of the administration's failure to prepare for the storm that killed more than 40 New Yorkers.

"Sandy has been touted as the storm of the century, a moniker that has been bestowed on three events in the last five years, and yet here we are again" said Miranda, "assessing the inadequate response of the Fire Department." Local 2507 represents Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics. "Sandy was predicted seven days before it came ashore, yet the storm plan was released only 24 hours before it hit the city." Not only was the city's plan released late, but it was never fully implemented, said Miranda. And the poor preparation caused the Fire Dept. to incur losses of more than $2.5 million.

The poor planning threatened the lives of EMTs and Paramedics in several flooded station houses that were not evacuated, as they should have been. Three members nearly drowned as they clung to the roof of their ambulance, which floated down Rockaway Beach Boulevard.

"During Sandy, EMS officers endured many of the same issues they experienced during the blizzard of 2010," said Local 3621 President Vincent Variale. "The failure to adequately plan, coupled with inept decision making, fostered chaos and compromised the ability of officers of the EMS Command to conduct operations."

Local 1549 2nd Vice President Ralph Palladino called for the city to substantially increase the hiring of Police Communication Technicians for the understaffed New York Police Dept. The PCTs in the 911 system - who are considered First Responders - were bombarded with more than 100,000 calls in 24 hours during Sandy.

"It is clear that up to 115 more PCTs should be hired just to match the old staffing levels," said Palladino. "There are empty seats at 911 computers where trained personnel could be working and serving the public."

"Hiring should be ongoing, because attrition takes a continuous toll," said John Armstrong, who chairs Local 1549's Police Communications Technicians and Supervisors Chapter.

During the hearing City Council member Peter Vallone Jr. praised the members for their hard work during Sandy. "There's no doubt that because of our First Responders, many lives were saved," he said.