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Public Employee Press
Local 299 wins permanent status for 52
More than 50 AFSCME Local 299 members now enjoy permanent
civil service positions as Recreation Directors thanks to a union lawsuit.
Early this year, the Dept. of Parks and Recreation appointed 52 members
to permanent RD spots. The action came after Local 299 sued the city to
hold a civil service exam for the position for the first time in 20 years.
Several provisionals in other agencies also became permanent because of
the lawsuit.
Many of our members who were appointed from the RD list had been
working for the city for 17 and even 20 years without ever having a chance
to become permanent, said Local 299 President Louis Sbar. It
was an absolute scandal. We are proud that the local has successfully
addressed this injustice.
I am grateful for the opportunity the union has opened up for us,
said Local 299 member Tammy McKnight, who works at the cultural center
at the Herbert Von King Park in Brooklyn.
It was so frustrating, McKnight said, recalling how she worked
for the city without permanent civil service status first as a
seasonal Recreation Specialist and later as a provisional RD since
1985. I was always wondering when I would get a break.
As provisionals, Parks workers like McKnight lacked the job protection
of permanent civil servants. That made them particularly vulnerable to
layoffs during tough fiscal times. Virtually all of the 1,000 members
laid off in 2003, and most of the thousands let go in 1991, were provisional
employees.
In addition to job security, civil service status provides permanent employees
with disciplinary and promotional rights that provisional workers do not
enjoy.
Responding to the concerns of members in provisional positions, Local
299 took the city to court in April 2003. DC 37 lawyer Kim Hsueh handled
the case, which was settled when the city agreed to hold an open competitive
RD exam by Dec. 31, 2003, and to come up with an appointment list within
six months. While the list remains valid for four years, the union pressed
the Parks and Recreation Dept. and other agencies to make appointments
as soon as possible.
McKnight hopes her new position will help pave the way for further promotions.
I always wanted permanent status so I could move up, she said.
This is a start.
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