By ALFREDO ALVARADO
Assistant Systems Analyst Ingrid Harding is livid and with very good
reason. After working for 16 long years in the payroll unit of the Fire Dept.,
the Brooklyn resident and single mother unexpectedly finds herself on the citys
expanding unemployment line another victim of Mayor Bloombergs budget
cuts.
May 16 was her last day of work. Im extremely disappointed,
said Ms. Harding after getting her two-week termination notice in early May. Why
is the city hiring all these temps and provisionals to work there? They have people
that have only been on the job a year or two, but they havent gotten laid
off. I want to know how is that possible?
As a single parent who
cares for four children Donovan, 4; Kyla, 7; Jenice, 14; and John, 16
Ms. Harding is suddenly coping with difficult dilemmas.
Providing continued
medical care for her 16-year-old diabetic son, who is in high school, is a major
concern for her family right now. Ive been able to get his medication
because of my health plan on the job, she said. But now that will
stop.
Fortunately, Ms. Harding is a member of New York City Accountants,
Actuaries and Statisticians Local 1407, whose president, Maf Misbah Uddin, fought
to stop the layoffs. She will still be eligible for DC 37 prescription drug benefits
for another 60 days after her date of termination. And under the federal COBRA
law, the city must give her the opportunity to continue her health insurance for
another 18 months.
We want members like Ingrid Harding to know
that although they have lost their positions with the city, we still consider
them part of the DC 37 family, said Executive Director Lillian Roberts.
We want to do whatever we can to help them get back on their feet.
Ms. Harding admits to feeling shocked about her sudden layoff together
with four other workers in her department in downtown Brooklyn and is just
beginning to come to grips with the tough realities of her new situation. I
cant get over it, she said, shaking her head.
Despite her
callous dismissal by the city and the mounting financial pressures she knows will
surely follow if she doesnt find a job soon, Ms. Harding vows to not let
the pressure get her down. Im not going to sit around waiting. Ive
got a lot of years of experience and skills to offer someone, she said.
Im a warrior. Thats what they call me at work.