Union action halts college asbestos project
Alert Westchester CC locals discover history of violations by contractor
Anne D’Orazio, president of the Westchester Community College Federation of Teachers, alerted college officials after union members uncovered violations by a contractor hired to remove asbestos from a campus building. The action has led to calls for better safety policies.
The faculty union at Westchester Community College was successful in stopping an ill-planned January asbestos removal project in an occupied campus building.
Working with NYSUT's health and safety director and two members of the Civil Service Employees Association, WCC Federation of Teachers president Anne D'Orazio was able to halt a project she said was put in motion without the legally required 10-day notice.
She also said the college had not met with faculty, staff and the abatement contractor to explain procedures and allow for questions.
Two CSEA computer technicians who were working in the older, two-story building Jan. 5 noticed business letter-sized notices taped to Technology Building doors. The signs announced asbestos would be removed Jan. 12–30, while employees and students would be in the building.
D'Orazio said no one contacted union representatives; faculty and staff had not received any global e-mail; and there was no contact from buildings and grounds or the campus health and safety committee.
"Teachers would have been starting the semester with no notice whatsoever," she said.
The technicians, Michele Maya and Lucy McGuire, found that Superior Abatement, the company contracted to remove the asbestos, had a history of safety and employment violations and had been fined several times, including an incident at SUNY New Paltz.
The pair contacted D'Orazio, who is also a member of NYSUT's Health and Safety Committee. She worked with Wendy Hord, NYSUT's health and safety director, for clarity on asbestos removal laws, and then wrote to the college president.
Almost immediately, D'Orazio said, Superior Abatement was "unhired."
The case, she said, was "a nice collaboration of two unions working together." Many questions, however, remain.
"How did the process go so wrong in the first place?" D'Orazio asked. "Why was this scheduled for the first weeks of the semester and not at a time when fewer (or no) employees and students would be around? Who failed to do a background check on this company?"
College officials, D'Orazio said, told her that Superior Abatement was hired as a subcontractor for the general contractor renovating the Tech Building.
D'Orazio has called for meetings between administrators and union representatives to establish procedures that include proper notification, protective measures and employee involvement.
"Having the knowledge and responsiveness" of NYSUT was "invaluable," D'Orazio said.
"Locals should know about this resource and contact their Labor Relations Specialists for problems," she said.
— Liza Frenette
The dangers of asbestos
Asbestos is a fibrous material once used widely for fireproofing, building materials and electrical insulation. In 1989, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency banned all new uses of asbestos.
The agency requires school systems to inspect for damaged asbestos and to eliminate or reduce the exposure to occupants by removing the asbestos or encasing it.
According to the National Institutes of Health, if products containing asbestos are disturbed, tiny fibers can be released into the air, where they can be inhaled and get trapped in the lungs.
Over time, these fibers can cause scarring and inflammation, affecting breathing and leading to serious health problems.
Asbestos has been classified as a known human carcinogen by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the EPA and the International Agency for Research on Cancer.