Band of Brothers leader answers management’s claims

By a Band of Brothers anti-racist leader
Bronx, N.Y.

The Oct. 9 rally in front of the main gates of the Woodlawn Cemetery followed an earlier one last July, where many organizations, activists and leaders stood in support of the Band of Brothers, workers in the struggle to fight racism on the job. Among the supporters were the Rev. Lydia Lebron of the Resurrection Church; South Bronx Community Congress leader and Freedom Party attorney general candidate Ramon Jimenez; and Freedom Party gubernatorial candidate Charles Barron, who spoke to the media about the horrendous treatment of cemetery workers by Woodlawn’s racist management. The action garnered media exposure, resulting in the firing of a racist foreman who had used racial slurs and intimidation.

That foreman had been given more authority and been promoted to gravedigger foreman in only his first four years on the job. His was the fastest promotion at Woodlawn — other experienced foremen have been on the job for 20 or 30 years. Management, which was also compelled to implement racial sensitivity training, claims the firing was due to “poor work performance.”

The following fabrications were made by John P. Toale, president and CEO of Woodlawn Cemetery, and provided by the Howard Rubenstein media relations firm in July.

1. Toale said, “We have consistently sought to maintain the highest standards of work environment, one that embraces diversity, respects the employee and encourages promotion and career advancement regardless of race, color, creed or gender.”

Fact: Management has consistently maintained a hostile work environment. Diversity has not been fully embraced — out of 38 workers, only four are Black.

Rather than maintaining a climate of respect for field workers, when you speak out you’re retaliated against — like one white worker who has been on the job for 32 years and is battling cancer. Management has taken disciplinary action against him for taking time off to get treated by doctors at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. This began after he made complaints about supervisor Rob Scheer using the “N” word and spoke out against management’s discriminatory practices.

No Blacks or Latinos/as are given any advancement opportunities; there are no Blacks or Latinos in a supervisory position. Management has eliminated job classifications when Black or Latino/a workers have enough seniority to bid for them. There are no female field workers. Since the complaints of racism and discrimination, management has been outsourcing jobs.

2. “We will also be implementing a plan to create far more rigorous documentation on work performance of both supervisors and employees. We are moving to create a clear and unambiguous line of reporting where performance is documented and registered. That kind of structure, with a written review, will ensure our other reforms can be efficiently measured and accounted for.”

Fact: This is a clear-cut threat aimed at the cemetery’s field workers for standing up to management’s discriminatory actions. Rigorous documentation on work performance has already been taking place and used against the workers; the workers are already being closely monitored and scrutinized. It’s the old adage of produce more for less. We workers are oppressed as it is; to cover more than 400 acres of land is a lot for 38 workers.

No structure, written documented review or measure of efficiency can account for the harassment and discrimination against the workers. The safety of the workers is always compromised for the sake of getting the job done. Management uses such methods to compare the work of one worker with another, and to record when workers take a water break or bathroom break. The workers feel like they are in a prison labor camp, with security personnel and foremen as the prison guards and Scheer along with management assuming the role of warden. The workers feel incongruous in such an atmosphere.

3. Toale concluded, “Everyday throughout New York companies and institutions are faced with similar human resource challenges but choose to maintain their silence about the problem and their solutions. ... Our Board believes we have an obligation to let our community know that we have responded to the challenge, and we have found ourselves in need of change.”

Fact: The Woodlawn cemetery is a serene, beautiful place with an amazing botanical landscape, all maintained by the workers who lay down the soil and keep the tombs ornate. Management has precisely chosen to maintain their silence about the racism and discrimination that exists at the cemetery. The board believes that they have responded to the challenges, yet they still allow racist supervisors who engage in discriminatory practices to preside at the cemetery. Management has not done better — it’s done worse.

A group of Woodlawn cemetery workers, organized as “The Band of Brothers,” have taken a stand to maintain their dignity, unionize and fight for the rights of all workers. The Band of Brothers struggle is one that has taken many strides in the ongoing efforts to organize while confronting racism and unfair treatment of the cemetery management. It is a struggle for the preservation of our labor rights, civil rights and human rights.