By DEBORAH A. MILES
With hundreds of union members cheering at a rally to save the state Department of Labor’s (DOL) telephone call center in Manhattan, PEF President Roger Benson announced the union would file a racial discrimination lawsuit against DOL and its commissioner, Linda Angello.
The announcement made at City Hall Park on a sunny mid-June day revved-up an already roaring crowd, as Benson explained how the labor department has engaged in discriminating practices by closing the Lower Manhattan call center where the majority of employees are minorities.
“Would they close the center if it were staffed by all white males? We have a strong case,” Benson told members and reporters. “This lawsuit is just the beginning. We plan to use all means possible to keep the call center in New York City.”
All the speakers including PEF Vice President Pat Baker, PEF Executive Board member for DOL Bernice Jones, Region 10 Coordinator Jennifer Faucher and Region 11 Coordinator Jemma Marie-Hanson signed the petitions which now have more than 6,000 signatures.
The closure would cause long-time employees to accept transfers upstate to Troy and Endicott and uproot their families.
DOL alleges the closure is a result of federal budget cuts, saying it can’t afford the pricey rent. Lower office rents are available in the city, according to PEF leaders.
The closure would affect more than 150 PEF Division 245 members. Those refusing the upstate transfer would lose their jobs.
SIGN RIGHT HERE — PEF field representative Priscilla Marco holds a petition board as Division 245 member Helen Esposito signs her name at the rally.
Multilingual specialists
It would also create a lack of service to New York City residents. To highlight this point, labor service representatives who work in Manhattan made their pleas at the rally in foreign languages. PEF member Angel Crespo spoke in Spanish. Thomas Hui delivered the message in Mandarin, and Veer Mukhiin in Hindi. The call center employees also speak Creole, Russian, Polish, Chinese and Japanese.
“Moving the employees would not only disrupt their lives, it would leave thousands of foreign-speaking people to the mercy of upstate representatives who have to get a translator through a “language line,” to provide any kind of service. And, that would cost taxpayers $2 a minute,” said Helen Esposito, a labor service representative and PEF member.
“With this rally, we are getting the word out to the governor, Mayor Bloomberg and especially to the DOL commissioner,” said Evarist Nicholas, another Division 245 member. “They have a fight on their hands and need to think about what they are doing.”
Regional support
Waving signs, clackers and blowing whistles, the crowd chanted, “Hell no, we won’t go.”
PEF Vice Presidents Pat Baker and Ken Brynien, Region 10 Coordinator Jennifer Faucher and Region 11 Coordinator Jemma Marie-Hanson led dozens of people who spoke at the event.
It attracted support from the Civil Service Employees Association and other unions. Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields, and NYC Council Members Robert Jackson and Christine Quinn also attended. Representatives from Sen. Martin Golden, Sen. David Paterson and Assembly Member Rhoda Jacobs read letters of support.
Sign an online petition
In solidarity, each speaker signed a petition containing more than 6,000 signatures to keep the call center in Manhattan.
DOL has set a target date of September 9 to start the transfer process. However, PEF leaders hope the lawsuit will delay that action and make DOL rethink the closure.
“This is only the beginning of our fight,” Nicholas said.
A legislative hearing will be held July 8 in New York City where members will testify.
For updates and information on how you can participate in keeping the call center in Manhattan, visit the PEF Web site at
www.pef.org and click on the “Don’t Hang Up”
button.
JOINING THE CAUSE — (Above) New York City residents come out in full force at the telephone call center rally held at City Hall Park in June. (Left)
A four-language ad, developed in PEF’s PR Dept., illustrates the multilingual ability of the center's staff, members of PEF Division 245. It ran in The Chief Leader. — Photo by Richard Dillard
The
Communicator July/August 05
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