Public Employee Press

Contracting out: struggles continue
Members battle dirty hospital laundry plan

Brooklyn Central Laundry workers met March 11 to combat the city's plan to privatize at least 180 jobs of members who wash public hospital laundry and deliver clean linens throughout the Health and Hospitals Corp.

"We will win this battle with people power," said DC 37 Field Operations Director Barbara Edmonds.

HHC's plan targets laundry workers in DC 37's Local 420, drivers in Local 983 and employees who deliver clean linens within facilities. The unified fightback meeting also included concerned clerical employees in Local 1549 and members of Teamsters Local 237 and Communications Workers Local 1180.

"We have heard HHC's fairy tale that contracting is cheaper, but we have proved our members do the job better for less," said Local 420 President Carmen Charles.

"This plan would put good people out of work and hurt this community."

HHC aims to contract out the laundry and delivery services to two firms, Unitex of Yonkers and Sodexo, based in Spain, which has a record of health, safety and labor law violations and overcharging public schools.

HHC stalls equipment repairs "to stop us from working," said Local 420 Chapter Chair Hulie White.

"This is part of an attack on union members," said DC 37 Associate Director Oliver Gray. Local 1549 President Eddie Rodriguez and Local 983 Vice President Steve Shaw explained that DC 37 is engaging political allies at City Hall and in Albany to protect members' jobs and urged workers to bring their families to demonstrations, register to vote and contact local politicians.

DC 37 attorneys Robin Roach and Meaghean Murphy said the contracting-out move violates an agreement between the union and HHC. Under Section 11 of the economic agreement, Roach said, DC 37 will submit a counterproposal to HHC showing that the contracting out is not cost-effective and not in the city's best interests.

"We've been victorious in this struggle before, and we will do it again," said Charles. "Privatization is not good for anybody."

— Diane S. Williams