DC JwJ's "Talkin' Justice": Labor-Community Oppose Hartsock Confirmation, Call For Mayor To Follow The Law

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)

Labor and community allies opposed to the confirmation of interim director of DC Department of Parks and Recreation Ximena Hartsock (l) will pack DC City Council this Friday for the confirmation hearing. "Hartsock is responsible for closing the DPR childcare programs, acting on behalf of Mayor Fenty (r) to defy Council legislation which prevented the program from closing," said Parisa Norouzi, director of Empower DC, which is organizing parents who -- until last Friday -- used DPR's day care services. "As a result, hundreds of DC residents have lost their child care services, 160 workers lost their jobs and the city has lost high-quality programs operated since 1974." "The daycare workers are gone," said Ben Butler, President of AFGE Local 2741 which represents rank and file DPR workers. "The morale of workers has plummeted under Hartsock due to the climate of fear and intimidation. People don’t know what will come next. Meanwhile, experienced union workers are being terminated and replaced with inexperienced non-union employees. Hartsock and the Mayor are trying to eliminate the union by attrition, reconfiguring entire job categories as non-union." During the Council's first legislative session last Tuesday, Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas amended the Budget Support Act to direct the Executive to continue to provide daycare services for children with disabilities. Although more than a hundred DC residents gathered at a rally supporting the legislation DC Families And Workers Stand Up, Fight Back, UC 9/23/2009), the Mayor again defied the Council and closed the daycare centers on Friday. In a separate motion, Thomas who is also Chair of the Committee on Libraries, Parks and Recreation, introduced legislation to permit the Council to take legal action against the Mayor. "Consistent noncompliance with District laws usurps the authority of the Council," explained Thomas. "We have no choice but to explore the possibility of initiating a lawsuit to defend and protect the laws of the District of Columbia." The confirmation hearing (link) will be held at 4pm this Friday at the Wilson Building. To sign up to testify contact snix@dccouncil.us. For more information or to find out how you can get involved in the Take Back DC campaign contact rcastel@dclaborarchives.org. -Ruth Castel-Branco; photo courtesy Washington Post