Public Employee Press

HHC plans to privatize . . . again
Laundry workers fight to save jobs

By ALFREDO ALVARADO

For over a decade DC 37 and Local 420 have been beating back continual attempts by the city and the Health and Hospitals Corp. to privatize public hospital laundry work and close the Brooklyn Central Laundry.

The latest threat would shift the jobs to a private, out-of-state company, Angelica Textile Services of New Jersey, which has been trying to take over the laundry service for many years. HHC President Alan D. Aviles announced the plan May 11 as part of a broad restructuring and cost containment proposal aimed at ending the hospital system's recurring budget problems. The current gap is projected at over $1 billion.

Almost 100 members of Municipal Hospital Employees Local 420 clean 10 million pounds of laundry a year for most HHC hospitals and the city's morgues, working in the steam and heat of the three-story Central Laundry attached to Kings County Hospital in East Flatbush.

DC 37 and Local 420 are fighting back to save the jobs of the members who provide city hospitals with clean sheets and uniforms in 24 hours. After the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, the workers took charge of cleaning an extra 300-400 pounds a day of contaminated uniforms from the Fire and Police departments and other Ground Zero responders.

Local 420 members protested the HHC plan June 16 at the laundry. "We will keep rallying and marching and making our voices heard, because contracting out this work is wrong for our members and wrong for the city," said Local President Carmen Charles.

"HHC claims Angelica can do the work cheaper, but when businesses are privatized and most of the money that is made doesn't stay in the city, it damages our whole local economy," she said.

Efforts to shift the work to a private company go back to 1995, and the city has a history of not providing enough funds to purchase modern laundry equipment. In 1998, the Giuliani administration tried to close the facility and eliminate 200 jobs. With support from a roster of elected officials, the union fought back and won.

"We've got a contract, but the city hasn't fulfilled the contract," said Local 420 Chapter Chair Huile White, who is gearing up for another battle. The city was obligated to do a cost analysis, comparing Angelica with the efficiency of the Central Laundry workers.

"The city has failed to do that study," said DC 37 Assistant Associate Director Henry Garrido, who is working with Executive Director Lillian Roberts to prepare a union challenge to the laundry contracting-out plan and other negative aspects of HHC's restructuring proposal.