After several years, Nassau County implemented the use of inmates from the Correctional Center to do work such as pulling weeds at the County Executive Building at 1550 Franklin Avenue in Mineola. This initiative was put in place on August 12, and was immediately fought off by CSEA Local 830 President Jerry Laricchiuta.

 

The CSEA Local 830 contract with Nassau County reads in Section 32-1 that, “The County shall make good faith efforts to avoid the unnecessary assignment of CSEA unit work to persons not in the CSEA unit.” In Section 32-3, it reads, “The County shall provide notice to CSEA stating the County’s needs and CSEA may, within ten (10) days thereafter propose alternatives to satisfy the county’s needs, and if CSEA proposes alternatives, the County and CSEA shall meet and confer with respect to CSEA’s proposals.”

 

Laricchiuta said, “None of those things respective to our contract occurred in this case. We were notified the morning of the day the inmates were scheduled to do work at the County Executive Building.” This work would normally be done by CSEA members working at Public Works.

 

After conferring with the County following August 12, CSEA has agreed to let the inmates do any menial work that would not be otherwise done by DPW employees. 

 

This is one of many subcontracting cases that Local 830 continues to deal with on a daily and weekly basis. The battle is usually against private contractors however, as numerous contracts go before the Nassau Legislature bi-weekly for private contractors to do work in the County, and CSEA reviews them all before any vote is done by the legislators.  If it is determined that CSEA members can do the work outlined in the contract, then the Local will ask for the contract to be pulled. If it’s determined that the work is outside the scope of CSEA members’ job specifications, then the Local will let the contract go through.