Bruce Nigro, Director
Essex County Division of Welfare
18 Rector Street, Floor 9
Newark, NJ , 07102
SUBJECT: Re: Step II Class Action Contractual Grievance
Point-in-Time Survey of the Homeless
Article XXV. Non-Discrimination
Article XLIX. Safety of Staff
Dear Mr. Nigro:
CWA Local 1081 submits this Step II Contractual Grievance on behalf of our members with least seniority involuntarily impressed into duty to work on the Statewide New Jersey Point-in-Time Survey of the Homeless, as well as on behalf of those members of our Union that volunteered to work with this program. While our Union does not dispute the mandated need for the County to conduct a census, we are concerned about the manner in which the census process has been planned and the possible deleterious effects it could have upon our participating members.
CWA Local 1081 has always been concerned for the well being of the homeless residents of the County of Essex, as witnessed by our Union's active representation by its president for more than two decades on the boards of such non-profit agencies as The Apostles' House, the Newark YMCA, the United Way of Essex and West Hudson and the Newark Coalition for Low Income Housing. Our Union 's considerable concern is also evident in the number of our members that volunteered to take part in this survey program, although that number is apparently indistinguishable at this time due to reporting methods.
While our Union concurs conceptually with the avowed purpose of the Point in Time survey, "to determine the answers to some of the biggest questions about homelessness", we are compelled to take extreme umbrage with the disorganized manner in which survey procedures have been planned and the very real dangers our members taking part in this program may face as well as contractual violations that may well result from the program's flawed methodologies:
- Despite CWA Local 1081's long standing history of working cooperatively with management on programs undertaken by the Essex County Division of Welfare, particularly with the administration of Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo, our Union was not afforded the respect of any pre-notification of the program's existence until we received a call citing their concerns from our non-volunteer member participants today.
- Our non-volunteer program participant members were first notified they had been drafted two weeks ago, and received a paltry one day training yesterday conducted by representatives of the Corporation for Supportive Housing.
- According to the Data Collection Guide for the Statewide New Jersey Point-in-Time Survey of the Homeless, the population our participating members will be approaching in various areas of the public (either in pairs or groups of six, depending upon which participating management representative with whom we've spoken) includes persons that have received alcohol and substance abuse treatment, who are developmentally disabled and/or have received mental health services and youth who are 18 years old and younger. HUD guidelines and reporting requirements also mandate our participating members interview persons with HIV/AIDS and the severely mentally ill.
- Our Union inquires of the County, and the program's planners, how our participating members are to differentiate approaching in public "the homeless" from those who are not? If they approach someone who is not homeless, what possible verbal and/or physical repercussions might result? If they approach someone who is homeless, what possible verbal and/or physical repercussions might result? Have our affected members been provided cellular telephones or other means of contacting their supervisors, and/or the police, in case a confrontation with whom they approach occurs?
- How are our affected members to convince homeless individuals to agree to be transported to the Branch Brook Park skating rink when very often many such individuals refuse to utilize shelters, even in the dead of winter, and/or apply for public benefits?
- Why haven't the program's planners arranged to have the multitude of homeless shelter providers located within Essex County to provide their lists of clients and arrange for our members to interview the clients within these shelters at those times they do seek shelter, food, clothing and other assistance?
The resolution to this grievance is for the County of Essex to not compel our affected members, volunteer or not, to participate in this survey until County management has met with our Union and provided satisfactory responses to our abovementioned concerns.
Sincerely,
David H. Weiner, President,
CWA Local 1081
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