PEP, September 2008: Members squeezed as pay fight drags on

As Local 1320 continues its long battle for a new contract, members are struggling to get by on tight household budgets. In some instances, they are facing financial ruin.

Six years without a contract, Sewage Treatment Workers and Sr. STWs are coping by bringing their lunch to the job, running up huge credit card balances, forgoing family vacations, postponing home purchases, moving in with their parents, skipping mortgage payments, working overtime and taking on second jobs.

“The bottom line is that you need to have money!” said Sewage Treatment Worker Joe Costantino, a shop steward.

“I don’t live high on the hog, and I don’t drive a fancy car,” Costantino said. “But I have to worry whether I have enough money in my pocket if I am taking my kid to the aquarium. As a skilled tradesman, I should not be in this position.”

Costantino resides in a modest, two-bedroom house in Ozone Park, Queens, with his wife, Stephanie, and their children, Millie, 3, and Joseph, 1. The children sleep in an 8-by-12 bedroom, and the house doesn’t have a backyard.

When the couple purchased the starter home a year after their marriage in 2002, Costantino said that they had set their hopes on buying a bigger home as soon as possible. But with their income stagnant, they can’t consider that. They are having a hard time meeting their $1,700 monthly mortgage and other household expenses.

Less time with the family
“I now have to work two jobs and that means spending less time with my family,” said Costantino, who started up a marginally successful online auto parts business to bring in some extra money. Stephanie does part-time work for a hospital out of the couple’s home.

The couple hasn’t gone on vacation for years. “There is no vacation. There is no way you can afford vacation,” Costantino said.

“A lot of the new guys at work still live with their parents,” Costantino said. “They can’t think of getting married because they can’t afford their own home. The only reason I got a home was because my parents helped me out.”

“Some members are on the verge of losing their homes,” Local 1320 President James Tucciarelli said. “I know guys whose entire check is going to pay their f—ing mortgages. If they don’t hustle and do a second job, they can’t meet theirexpenses.”

Sewage Treatment Worker Thomas Barrett is one of the members faced with the prospect of losing his house. Carrying a $40,000 credit card debt and falling behind on his mortgage, Barrett said his only option will soon be to turn in his house keys to the bank and get a lawyer to help him file for personal bankruptcy.

Deeper and deeper debt
Thomas purchased his Bronx home—which he describes as a “$125,000 shack”—with the intention of fixing it up on his own. But with his $1,280 monthly mortgage, hefty child-support obligations and stagnant pay, he has given up on the project. Because the house is so run-down, he prefers to stay at his girlfriend’s apartment.

To deal with a bank account running on empty, Barrett has resorted to borrowing from his pension fund, getting a $5,000 loan from a friend and hitting up his father.

A year ago, Barrett was hospitalized after he inhaled gas at work. The Dept. of Environmental Protection is disputing his disability claim, so Barrett is is getting the huge medical bills. Unable to pay, he tosses the bills into the trash bin, he said.

“The only way I meet the bills is through overtime,” said Barrett, who says he brings home about $560 a week. “You have to work 60 hours to 70 hours a week to meet your expenses. I have to wait until October to be able to borrow again from my pension. You just get deeper and deeper in debt.”

—Gregory N. Heires