Public Employee Press

Working conditions victory in Coney Island

Superstorm Sandy may have played a critical role in getting the Health and Hospitals Corp. to clean up longstanding safety hazards at Coney Island Hospital after fast thinking union officials shamed management during a walk-through inspection.

When Sandy's winds drove raging Atlantic Ocean floodwaters inland Oct. 29, the hospital was evacuated and its loading dock, where DC 37 members receive shipments of sterile medical supplies, took on many feet of water and was severely damaged.

"Conditions were horrible, just horrible," said Lee Clarke, director of DC 37's Health and Safety Dept.

"For years, the loading dock had been open to the elements. Doors barely hung on their hinges. Walls were collapsing, and medical supplies were stacked haphazardly up to the ceiling, in danger of collapsing and injuring employees," Clarke said, "and Sandy made it even worse."

The dock's lower level and the conveyor system were completely flooded after Sandy. "Before the storm, that area was poorly lighted and had severe ventilation problems," said Clarke. "There were mold, leaks and asbestos, all serious health and safety concerns for the members of locals 420, 1549 and 983 who work on the dock."

Instead of repairing major leaks, the hospital had jerry-rigged a patchwork of tarps to catch rain water, with a garden hose for drainage.

Workers used a broken walk-in refrigerator as a break area and a doorless freezer for office space. The staff, mainly Latino and African American men, feared losing their jobs if they complained, Clarke said.

DC37 Hospitals Division Council Rep Joel Viera-Vera filed a grievance, which was about to go to arbitration when Sandy struck. "Hurricane Sandy made conditions at the loading dock ten times worse,"
he said.

After the storm, hospital management led leaders and experts from DC 37 and other Municipal Labor Committee unions that represent hospital workers there on a walk-through. Clarke demanded that the hospital's executive director include the loading dock on the tour. Clarke said, "I pressed him because I saw this as a great opportunity." She asked, "How can you continue to have these horrible conditions?"

Within 24 hours, the hospital relocated the loading dock workers and began a clean-up and renovation of the dilapidated dock. Viera-Vera said DC 37 is going ahead with the grievance because the hospital has not dealt completely with the full scope of infrastructure repairs. "We will keep the pressure on until this issue is completely resolved," he said.