General News
Drink up!
Aug 9, 2007 1:08 PM
UFT quick actions help a school community
The UFT is not officially a “first responder,” but as soon as there is an actual or potential threat to the health or safety of a school community, the union jumps on top of the problem and won’t let go until the crisis is over.
In mid-July, when two summer school programs housed in PS 146 in the Bronx were bustling with activity, their drinking water was found to be below standard. The extent of contamination needed to be conclusively determined.
A UFT team was on the scene before dawn.
“We had to get to the bottom of the problem, connect the right people, map logistics, get the word out, and correct whatever the problem was,” said UFT Vice President Michael Mulgrew, who coordinated the UFT’s actions.
By sunrise, Garry Sprung, assistant to President Randi Weingarten; and Bronx Special Representative Rodney Grubiak were at the building hand-delivering cases of potable drinking water.
Weingarten and other union officials stayed in constant contact with officials from the Department of Education, the School Construction Authority and the Department of School Facilities, and made sure that UFT staff, parents and others were kept informed.
“We monitored the whole investigation, reviewed data, studied reports, and insisted that the drinking water remain shut off until its quality was determined and independently verified to be satisfactory. It was a cooperative effort all around,” noted UFT Health and Safety Director Ellie Engler, who had prepared an exhaustive list of critical questions for the Health Department. The members who teach at the schools this summer, and the principals and parents were very grateful.
According to Engler, the problem was attributed to technical errors related to the installation of a central air-conditioning system. Repairs were done and normalcy restored.
