AFFILIATED WITH NATIONAL & STATE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF
LABOR & CONGRESS OF INDUSTRIAL ORGANIZATIONS

UNITE United Cerebral Palsy Press Conference

At a press conference outside Grace Baptist Church in Mount Vernon, Chris Seymour of the UNITE Research Department told the more than 100 fellow union members, clergy, family members and political leaders assembled that between 1998 and 2001 UCP had cut staffing by 25%. The number of clients served in the day treatment program climbed from 215 to 220 while the equivalent of 20 fulltime positions was eliminated. He said that he had learned from staff that at least once a week the staff-to-client ratio fell below the organization’s minimum. This is detrimental to both the clients and employees because it leaves less time to help clients with eating, bathing, learning and relaxing. It is at times like this that accidents happen.
Earlier this month, UCP was fined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for failing to properly describe a workplace injury and for failing to provide an injury log to an authorized union representative.

After a difficult organizing campaign in which UCP told clergy, unions and other members of the community that they had no right to be involved in helping workers, the UCP staff voted to be represented by UNITE. Even after the vote, UCP appealed the decision and UNITE had to defend the decision. Though the decision was upheld, management still won’t bargain seriously over the contract. They have changed CEO’s a number of times with negotiations having to start over each time they had a new CEO. They’ve stepped up their attempts to scare workers from showing union support. Workers have been fired, and many have been disciplined. They’re still using taxpayers’ money on a union-busting law firm which runs the whole anti-union campaign. This, of course, is illegal under the law.

At the press conference, the UNITE members were supported by fellow union members from: IBEW # 3;Yonkers Federation of Teachers Local 860; Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Workers # 338; Theatrical Stage Employees, IATSE # 1; Mount Vernon Federation of Teachers Local # 865; Civil Service Employees Local 860 unit 9201; CSEA Local # 731; Communication Workers # 1103; Yonkers Fire Fighters, IAFF # 628; Teamsters # 812; Westchester Community College Federation of Teachers , AFT # 2531; and the UNITE Joint Board. Anthony Pagano, President of the Westchester/Putnam Central Labor Body pledged the support of the 110,000 union families in Westchester and Putnam Counties. In his remarks he noted the continual concern for the clients that he had heard from all the UCP workers. He said that though these workers were very poorly paid and had terrible working conditions they continually showed support for the people they cared for.

Also showing support for the workers was a relative of one of the clients who spoke about the importance of the continuity of workers and how changing workers hurts the clients. County Legislator Andrea Stewart Cousins spoke about the fact that after the County Labor Committee hearing on the issues she thought it had been settled. She said that county money was being wasted when workers were not being treated fairly. Rev. Richardson of Grace Baptist Church said that he had been active in the campaign from the beginning. He said that it was a disgrace that in a county as rich as Westchester workers had to be treated as poorly as the workers at UCP.
He said that a county is only as good as the treatment it gives to its poorest people. Also on hand to support the UCP workers was Chuck Schorr Lesnick a candidate for City Council President in Yonkers.