By William Gjebre, FloridaBulldog.org
The Miami-Dade School Board has agreed to spend up to $1.8 million to outsource lawn service maintenance long done by unionized workers, and union leaders now say they fear Superintendent Alberto Carvalho is eyeing more privatization that could lead to additional work cuts for its members.
The two, five-year outsourcing contracts stand to eliminate tasks generally assigned to maintenance workers and custodians represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Local 1184.
“It’s work the employees are supposed to be doing,” said AFSCME local president Vicki Hall. AFSCME workers are generally the lowest-paid union members working for the school district; they include custodians, maintenance employees, bus drivers and food service personnel.
“It weakens the union when they outsource and take away jobs from the employees who should be doing the work,” said Terry Haynes, the AFSCME local’s senior vice president. He estimated the two contracts cost 10 to 15 school district jobs.
Both pointed the finger at Superintendent Carvalho for the outsourcing. “He’s aware of it; all falls under him,” Haynes said, adding the superintendent “backed the first two” contracts.
“I believe this is the start of outsourcing of all of lawn service,” Haynes said.
“He’s trying to outsource lawn service. He’s trying to privatize,” said Hall.
District officials did not respond to calls for comment on the issue, so reasons for the outsourcing were unknown, including whether they claim it was for cost reasons. Carvalho also would not discuss the matter when a reporter attempted to talk with him at the Dec. 14 board meeting.
A day after the meeting, however, district spokeswoman Daisy Gonzalez-Diego released this statement: “Recently, there was misunderstanding regarding the District’s procedures for contracting out. In an effort to provide clarity, the District and the Union are working on an agreement to ensure that all parties understand the process and protocols to be followed.”
Outsourcing a management right?
Union officials Hall and Haynes complained that in recent years district officials have taken the position that outsourcing is a management right that can be invoked unilaterally and they do not have to confer with the union.
But Haynes said the district is overlooking a ruling in a case years ago in which the union prevailed in arbitration. The ruling in that matter stated the district had to notify the union if it sought to outsource work that could be performed by union employees and the parties had to negotiate the impact of the proposed work. If the parties did not come to an agreement, the union could move ahead with arbitration.
After that case, the district generally followed that ruling, until recently, Haynes said, adding the two contracts are indicative of the district’s changing policy.
The first of the two contracts was approved by the School Board on Nov. 18, 2015 for up to five years for 11 companies to provide lawn service totaling up to $1 million. The type of work includes tree, palm and shrub trimming, pruning and stump removal, according to board records.
The contract was approved two days after the union withdrew a grievance and the request for arbitration. The union had filed the grievance in June 2014 after discovering that a private firm was doing lawn service work at Krop Senior High School in North Dade.
According to documents provided by the school district, approximately $273,000 has been paid to the companies as of Nov. 29, 2016. The union did not file a grievance at the time the contract was approved, according to Haynes.
The other contract, for up to five years, was approved by the School Board on Feb. 3, 2016. Thomas Maintenance Service will be paid up to $800,000 to mow vacant lots and clear fence lines.
According to documents provided by the school district, nearly $82,000 was paid to Thomas Maintenance as of Nov. 21, 2016.
Haynes said the union filed a grievance related to the Thomas Maintenance contract in April regarding work done at the district’s North Dade maintenance facility. Two more grievances were filed in September after the union learned about other outsourced lawn work at a high school and an elementary school, both in the northwest section, Haynes added. All three grievances remain pending.
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