Public housing workers tell bosses: ‘Stop the firings, no privatizing’

In response to numerous firings of employees for petty infractions, members of AFSCME Local 1355 and supporters held a spirited picket line on Aug. 22 outside the administrative offices of Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority.

For months CMHA has been terminating maintenance workers, particularly workers over 40 and those legitimately absent under the Family Medical Leave Act. In one case a man with 22 years’ seniority was fired after making a three-minute emergency phone call during normal working hours. He had actually clocked out to make the call and clocked back in after the call was finished.

“CMHA Human Resources is a kangaroo court,” charged David Patterson, president of Local 1355, during the protest. “Under the pretext of unbiased disciplinary evaluation, [it] has routinely and blindly accepted management’s accusations as fact, irrespective of witnesses refuting supervisory allegations.” Patterson’s comments were met with interjections of “Fight, fight, fight!”

This latest conflict is an outgrowth of the struggle to get CMHA to pay its skilled maintenance workers a decent wage. The union has repeatedly called on CMHA to pay the prevailing wage as mandated by the U.S. Housing Act of 1937. At present even workers with decades of service make less than $15 an hour, significantly less than workers doing similar jobs in surrounding counties.

Local 1355 was prepared to strike last year over the prevailing wage issue, but in the end accepted a less-than-satisfactory contract after CMHA threatened to permanently replace the primarily African-American workforce.

While long-term workers are getting pink slips, their shoes are being filled by even lower-paid employees of outside private contractors. Thus, the union contends the bogus disciplinary procedures are part of a bigger scheme to privatize public housing in Cuyahoga County.

Because the fear of retaliation is so high, the majority of CMHA maintenance workers did not attend this initial protest. To dramatize the extent of management intimidation, union members wore masks at the protest. To also add a bit of levity to a harsh situation, the masks bore photographic likenesses of CMHA CEO George Philips and Chief of Staff Jeffrey Patterson.

While the demonstrators were standing outside CMHA offices chanting, they were suddenly confronted by Cleveland and CMHA police. Although they were assembled on the sidewalk, a Cleveland police officer tried to tell them they “needed a permit to protest.” Knowing they had a right to maintain a moving picket line without a permit, the group immediately started picketing, chanting “Freedom of speech!” and “First amendment rights!” The police backed off, but at least eight CMHA police cruisers remained parked alongside the protest area until the action ended.

Local 1355 was joined by the Peoples Fightback Center, Black on Black Crime, Inc. and Stop Targeting Ohio’s Poor.