Public Employee Press

DC 37 wins union rights for new title at HHC

DC 37 recently won full union rights for workers in a new job - Behavioral Health Associate - at the Health and Hospitals Corp.

DC 37 won a battle to represent the workers May 10 when the Board of Certification, part of the Office of Collective Bargaining, ruled that the new workers belong in the bargaining unit of hospital technician titles.

"This is a big victory for us," said DC 37 Hospitals Division Director Audrey McConney. HHC created the title to fill the important need for crisis prevention and intervention in hospital psychiatric wards.

"These members are trained to deal with physically aggressive patients. Previously, hospital police were used for crisis intervention,which often made them even more hostile," said McConney. "The BHAs are specially trained for this."

In February 2009, Assistant General Counsel Dena Klein filed a representation petition with the BCB requesting that the title be added to the DC 37 unit, pointing out that the BHAs share a community of interest with Local 420 Psychiatric Social Health Technicians, Patient Care Techs and Patient Care Associates. Another union also sought to add the BHAs to their bargaining unit.

Shop Stewards Sylvia Ballard and Paula Forbes organized several employees from Kings County Hospital and Bellevue to testify before the BCB to show the community of interest. The decision - which HHC supported - said the BHAs have a "greater community of interest" with the Local 420 members.

The new members will join Municipal Hospital Employees Local 420 with full rights and benefits.