August 23, 2011
Linda Bass, ASFS
Food Stamp Citizen Services Center
50 South Clinton Street, Floor
East Orange, NJ, 07102
Re: Step I Class Action Contractual Grievance
Inoperable Printers, Et Al
Article I. Purpose
Article VII. Discipline
Article XXV. Non-Discrimination
Article XXX. Work Distribution and Practices
Dear Ms. Bass:
CWA Local 1081 submits this Step I Class Action Contractual Grievance on behalf of our Family Service Worker-titled members, as well as our Clerical-titled members, assigned to the Food Stamp office as well as the other agency offices to protest the alarming fact that their agency printers are either constantly going "down" or completely broken. When the printers do occasionally function, no fewer than twelve (12) employees must use the same one.
Inasmuch as the average number of pages per recertification/reopen case within the Food Stamp office is approximately twenty-five (25), the result consists of Family Service Workers awaiting their co-workers' multiple pages to print before being able to retrieve their own. In addition to the frustration and stress placed upon the FSW's due to the printers' strained status alone, many of the clients understandably become perturbed due to service delays and visit their anger upon the first agency employees they encounter...our Union's FSW and Clerk members.
As CWA Local 1081 noted within our Union's attached Step I Class Action Contractual Grievance of August 16, 2011 entitled "Extremely Excessive FSCSC Caseloads", we grieved that matter in order "to protest the alarming fact that the FSW's are each carrying a respective caseload of approximately five-hundred (500) clients at any given moment in time". In addition, our Union filed the attached Step II Class Action Contractual Grievance of June 21, 2011 entitled "Corrupted Computers" in which we protested on behalf of all of our members within the agency the fact that "their computers have been corrupted for some time through aged hardware and antiquated software". That unresolved matter now awaits an arbitration hearing.
The resolution CWA Local 1081 respectfully demands to this grievance consists of the following:
- The County shall cease its incessant focus upon, and its dedication of, inordinate capital and human resources to such relatively far less important matters as Turtle Back Zoo and the parks and golf courses.
- The County shall redirect significant sums of those relative redundant capital and human resources to hiring the staff and purchasing the equipment necessary to properly serve those most in need of County government assistance within these fiscally troubling and trying of times.
We seek a hearing in this regard.
Sincerely,
David H. Weiner, President
CWA Local 1081
August 16, 2011
Linda Bass, ASFS
Food Stamp Citizen Services Center
50 South Clinton Street, Floor
East Orange, NJ, 07102
Re: Step I Class Action Contractual Grievance
Extremely Excessive FSCSC Caseloads
Article I. Purpose
Article VII. Discipline
Article XXV. Non-Discrimination
Article XXX. Work Distribution and Practices
Dear Ms. Bass:
CWA Local 1081 submits this Step I Class Action Contractual Grievance on behalf of our Family Service Worker-titled members, as well as our Clerical-titled members, assigned to the Food Stamp office to protest the alarming fact that the FSW's are each carrying a respective caseload of approximately five-hundred (500) clients at any given moment in time.
These extremely excessive caseloads are resulting in significant employee stress, the unwarranted imposition of discipline upon the employees when the work cannot get done in a timely fashion and a delay in providing legally required client services which oft precipitates frustration and anger amongst adversely affected clients which is more often than not directed toward our Union's FSW and Clerical members alike.
As you are aware, the County of Essex annually renews an agreement with the State of New Jersey whereby the latter advances the former $15 million in TANF administrative funding in exchange for the County's pledge to maintain no fewer than 822 total agency employees. Not only does the County annually violate this agreement by failing to maintain 822 total agency employees, but the Division of Welfare has for many years failed to even attain that number.
The resolution CWA Local 1081 respectfully demands to this grievance consists of the following:
- The County shall expedite its hiring of both FSW and Clerical employees so as to attain, and then maintain, the stipulated total of 822 agency employees.
- The County shall deploy more employees to the Food Stamp office.
- The County shall cease imposing discipline upon Food Stamp office employees whose alleged transgressions are actually the result of that office maintaining too few staff to adequately service its clients.
We seek a hearing in this regard.
Sincerely,
David H. Weiner, President
CWA Local 1081
June 21, 2011
Yvonne Davis, Director
Essex County Division of Welfare
18 Rector Street, Floor 9
Newark, NJ, 07102
Re: Step II Class Action Contractual Grievance
Corrupted Computers
Article I. Purpose
Article VII. Discipline
Article XXV. Non-Discrimination
Dear Ms. Davis:
CWA Local 1081 submits this Step II Class Action Contractual Grievance on behalf of our Family Service Worker members to protest the fact that their computers have been corrupted for some time through aged hardware and antiquated software.
As exemplified by the attached memorandum of June 15, 2011 written Food Stamp Citizen Service Center ASFS Linda Bass by our member Family Service Worker Helen Asebiomo submitted within the above cited regard, the corrupted computers have long been having a deleterious effect upon our adversely affected members' ability to perform their agency duties and optimally service their respective clients.
The resolution CWA Local 1081 respectfully demands to this grievance consists of the County expeditiously replacing all of the agency's computers and upgrading their software to be comparatively commensurate with their counterparts of this century. We seek a hearing, in this regard.
Sincerely,
David H. Weiner, President
CWA Local 1081