Public Employee Press

Local 372 honored for improving school kitchen working conditions

The 29th annual Awards Celebration of the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health honored Board of Education Local 372 for the long battle the union fought to improve working conditions for members in school kitchens.

Local 372 was the recipient of this year’s NYCOSH Local Union award for their “forceful political action and persistence” in this campaign.

Lee Clarke, director of DC 37’s Safety and Health Dept. and a NYCOSH board member, presented the award to Local 372 President Veronica Montgomery-Costa.

“The food service workers and the work that they do tends to go unnoticed,” Clarke said.
In accepting the award, Montgomery-Costa described the horrendous conditions facing the school food service workers.

“Every year, there’s an opening day ceremony for the summer program which feeds members of the New York City community,” Montgomery-Costa said. “Last year, my members prepared over 1 million meals.”

“In Brooklyn, on opening day, the outside temperature was over 90 degrees. My members were literally melting in the kitchens,” she said.

Montgomery-Costa acknowledged the role of M. Patricia Smith, commissioner of labor for New York State.

“She realized it was a serious problem. I trust Pat Smith because she has been there from the beginning,” Montgomery-Costa said.

Other honorees included Commissioner Smith; Gary La Barbera, president of the New York City Central Labor Council and of Joint Council 16, Teamsters; El Centro de Hospitalidad; and United Church of Christ, National Disaster Ministries.

Paul Stein of the Public Employees Federation was the recipient of the Karen Silkwood Award.