Public Employee Press

Clerical activists get safety training

From Sanitation garages to hospitals and Police precincts to the Human Resources Administration, members of Clerical-Administrative Employees Local 1549 can be found in widely varied workplaces. But many of their safety problems occur at all these locations.

The local recently offered members a series of workshops on these “generic” issues. On Feb. 26, they focused on workers’ safety and health rights. Computer safety and indoor air quality were offered April 16, and on May 14 they studied fire safety and housekeeping.

Shop Steward Thelma Dillard, a Senior Police Administrative Aide, felt that she increased her level of preparedness to deal with safety issues on the job. “This training will help me keep management on their Ps and Qs,” she said.

John McCourt, a Clerical Associate at the Richmond Job Center on Staten Island, said the tools he gained at the training would help him as a shop steward. “I want to use the information I received to help us all better our workplace,” he said.

Deborah Diggs, a 24-year veteran at Elmhurst Hospital, valued the communication skills training. “It will help me to help my co-workers express the issues we face at work,” she said. “We provided this series to arm our stewards and activists with the tools they need to improve their working conditions,” said Local 1549 President Eddie Rodriguez.

The New York Committee on Occupational Safety and Health prepared the interactive curriculum and participated in the training along with Director Lee Clarke, Principal Program Coordinators Lisa Baum, Guille Mejia and Rebecca Porper and Coordinator Russell Johnson of the DC 37 Safety Dept.

Participants who attended all three sessions got certificates. Handouts offered at every session provided them with plenty of take-home materials to educate themselves and to share with co-workers. “Every member should take the time to get this training,” said John McCourt.