PEP, May 2007: Toys, tots and trucks

Three Quality of Work Life committees at three agencies came up with three very different plans to enhance life on the job. One updated vital equipment, another gave employees the joy of giving and a third provided laughs galore.

The QWL Committee at the Dept. of Consumer Affairs selected the children of Huntington House, a Lower East Side shelter, to receive their holiday gifts. Activist Angela Campbell distributed information about the children, and about 25 percent of DCA’s staff took part in the giving.

“The children reacted with amazement,” when the toys were distributed, said Campbell. “All the kids sent thank-you notes.” Now the partnership with Huntington House has expanded to include collections for summer camp items and “back-to-school” backpack drives.

Childhood photos captured the imagination of the QWL Committee at the Dept. of Finance and led to a contest where participants tried to match the youthful images of co-workers to their mature faces.

The reward was a QWL bag and the pride of success. In the winner’s circle were three employees — May Lima-Tsang of DC 37’s Accountants, Statisticians and Actuaries Local 1407, Shantie Ramadhin of Communications Workers of America Local 1180 and Donna Billups of the Organization of Staff Analysts. “Everyone involved had a lot of fun,” said Kevin Burke, labor co-chair of the QWL Committee.

Working closely with the Dept. of Environmental Protection, the QWL Equipment Committee designed, procured and distributed 35 new forklifts for members at the city’s 14 Wastewater Treatment Plants.

James Tucciarelli, president of Sewage Treatment Workers and Sr. STWs Local 1320, said that instead of the previous standard vehicles, the committee had tailored the designs — from the length of the blades to the type of fuel source — to meet the specific needs of the employees at the different locations. “Each forklift cost over $30,000,” said Tucciarelli. “The modifications are vital to our productivity in removing solid wastes that come in with the water.”

— Jane LaTour