Confirmation Denied to Acting DC Parks and Recreation (DPR) Director-Written by Ben Butler

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On Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009, the DC City Council took a bold action and denied the confirmation of Ximena Hartsock as Director of DPR with a vote of 7-5.

This vote, which in my opinion should have been cast with a much wider margin, causes a great deal of concern. Just what were the five Council members who voted in her favor thinking. Those five, David Catania, Jack Evans, Muriel Bowser, Tommy Wells and Jim Graham, apparently were not moved by the fact that Hartsock violated law that the the Council passed unanimously.   Jack Evans stated that “the mayor deserves to have his nominee unless there is something extremely wrong.”  Well Jack, there was and remains something extremely wrong. The law was violated! The fact that these five could ignore this is astounding. Each of them spoke about how responsive Hartsock was to their respective constituents.  However, not one of them expressed any concern for the plight of government workers or the families and children they serve.

It was no surprise to this writer that Muriel Bowser did not vote against Hartsock. Bowser was the hand picked successor to Adrian Fenty when he vacated the Ward 4 Council seat. Her action in this case will be remembered. As to the other four, it was obvious that labor issues were of no concern to them. As always, the race card is played when things don’t go their way.

Councilmember Barry’s statement that Hartsock was not qualified because she didn’t “understand our culture,”  was twisted into something that he certainly did not intend.  The statement was quite true. Hartsock does not understand Black culture. Moreover, she does not understand the culture of recreation in the District of Columbia. One thing is certain. The next Acting Director will have to be more open to dealing with the Union.  If not, it won’t be a smooth ride for whoever that person may be. While the Union cannot claim a sole victory for Hartsock’s denial, it is a precedent setting event that will benefit the Union moving forward. Contrary to popular belief, the Union is here to stay and this city cannot function without it.

As I stated at the confirmation hearing on Friday, Oct. 2, 2009, the battle line has been drawn and we intend to win by any means necessary!

Opposition to the Confirmation of DC Parks and Recreation Acting Director-Written by Ben Butler

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These are dark days in DC Parks and Recreation (DPR).

Since April of this year, all too many experienced Recreation Specialists have been either fired or forced to retire.  In addition, long time temporary employees, with over 20 years of employment have been released with no explanation.  These actions beg the question, “what is going on in the Recreation Dept.?”  The answer is simple.  There is a concerted effort to remove existing employees who are union members and replace them with non union members.  Leading this assault on union workers is the current Acting Director of DPR, Ximena Hartsock.

I remember the day I met Ms. Hartsock.  It was the day I was sworn in as the new President of AFGE Local 2741.  Prior to the ceremony we had the chance to talk about where she intended to take the agency.  She indicated that there would be some realignment in the agency.  I told her that I would not be opposed to a realignment.  However, my primary concern would be that no employee would lose their job.  Her reply was, “I will do all that I can to ensure that no one loses their job.”  Well that has proven to be untrue.  An entire Division, the Office of Educational Services (OES) is now gone, along with over 160 employees, many of whom are union members.  These employees provided daycare services for many families and children in the District of Columbia.

Not only has this Acting Director put employees out of work and deprived working parents affordable, quality daycare services, she has broken the law.  The DC City Council unanimously voted to keep DPR daycare centers open and employees on the job.  In addition, it passed legislation which required the Mayor to present a cost analysis prior to accepting any privatization bids for daycare services.  The mayor ignored that legislation and through Acting Director Hartsock has successfully eliminated the program.

I am not a lawyer. But it does not take a legal mind to know that a crime has been committed.  I think the charge, at least for this Acting Directing, should be “aiding and abetting” in the commission of a crime.

On Friday, October 2, 2009, Councilmember Harry Thomas, Jr. will Chair the confirmation hearing for Ms. Hartsock.  I will be testifying against her confirmation.  Confirming this candidate as Director of DPR would be tantamount to condoning her violating the law and flaunting that fact in the face of all DPR employees and citizens of the District of Columbia.

This confirmation must not occur.  I urge you to contact Councilmember Thomas’ office and let him know that this confirmation cannot and must not happen.

As always, feel free to contact me at benbtlr@yahoo.com

Reflections on Last Tuesday’s Rally-Written by Sabrina Brown

Harry Thomas, Jr. Ward 5 Councilmember encouraging

workers at September 23, 2009 Union Rally Protesting

Mayor Fenty’s Actions Terminating Their Jobs-

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Harry Thomas, Jr. Led the Rally on Tuesday. He has given me hope that at least one City Council Member is willing to stand-up as one of the people. Maybe, Harry is the spark to get the other Council Members from behind the desk and in the streets in support of the people that make the City thrive.

During Tuesday’s  rally Councilmember Thomas remarked from the speaker’s podium after walking in the picketline , “The people who stand before me today do not merely represent a small group of people. They represent a large majority of those affected by the Mayor’s actions and are here because they have had enough.” more…

The City Council has the power to stop the illegal Reduction in Force (RIF) and the people have the power to vote in September 2010.

Sabrina Brown, President, AFSCME Local 2401

AFSCME Local 2401 Challenges District’s “Realignment” and Reduction in Force on Constititional, State Law and Other Grounds

Union Forces Ban Together to Save Jobs. AGME Local 2741 President Ben Butler and AFSCME Local 2401 Presdident Sabrina Brown join forces to protest the manner in which workers have been terminated from their long standing positions. Day Care workers have recently filed a lawsuit against the District of Columbia similar to the complaint recently filed by AFSCME Local 2401.

To read the complaint recently filed and the Motion for Temporary Restraining Order and Preliminary Injunction, please click on the following links or surf to the navigation bar at the top of this blog and click on the Information is Power tab and related links for “Legal News/Pleadings Filed” under it.

Complaint
Motion for TRO and Preliminary Injunction

A Call to Action from Local Union Presidents Ben Butler (AFGE-2741) and Sabrina Brown(AFSCME-2401)

Fired Day Care Workers and union officials rally outside DC City Hall today protesting the Mayor’s cutbacks and RIF

We are concerned that the executive branch of the District of Columbia Government has become increasingly hostile to unions, union membership and workers rights. This is a critical time in the history of the Labor Movement in DC. Each of us in our capacity as presidents of local labor unions, appreciate more than ever the need of all local unions to consolidate resources and monitor illegal governmental reductions in force which ultimately result in privatization.

We are also concerned that race and age discrimination are influencing the government’s decisions. This is especially so for older workers, many of whom are experiencing a range of health problems.The loss of government jobs whether based on race, age, or motives to add to private industry coffers, comes at a time when unemployment in DC is at an all time high. Jobs have become alarmingly scarce. Unity in the labor community is necessary if we are to hold government officials accountable and insure that they follow the law.

As President of our respective unions we challenge each and every worker, union and non-union alike, to become actively involved in helping all workers to save their jobs:

The bottom line: we need you to be informed. We also need you to:

-act on information by contacting the Mayor’s Office either by phone (dial 311) or by Online Service Request (click on this link) , the City Council (202-724-8000 )and the D.C. Delegate to Congress(202- 225-8050) to voice your concerns.  More detailed contact information is provided in the DC Government Listing Tab above.

-support the law suits we have filed to protect the
members of our union. Read the complaint and keep up to date by reviewing the Legal Actions tab.

Please be mindful that this blog facilitates the communication and dissemination of information among all union members. We encourage you to share and exchange facts, observations or other developments in your workplace with members of this online blog community.

For your convenience, a link to a listing of the telephone numbers of all District of Columbia employees, including the Mayor, individual City Council members and DC Delegate to Congress  can be found in the navigation bar above. Also find the contact information for the leadership of DC Union Power as well.

Lastly, we would appreciate if you would take the time to contribute to our efforts to facilitate effective communication by placing your comments on this blog.  Please email any blog posts you find interesting and share with a friend or co-worker.

Thank you for your continued support,

Ben Butler, AFGE  Local 2741

Sabrina Brown,  AFSCME  Local 2401

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