Take a New York City blizzard laced with heavy snow and whipping winds. Add in a dose of frustrated union leaders, disgruntled supervisors and angry elected officials. Top it off with millions of snowed-in residents.

That’s the toxic mix that is swirling around City Hall this week as the Bloomberg administration faces questions about its handling of the massive snowstorm that socked the five boroughs the day after X-Mas.

Mayor Bloomberg, Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty and others blamed the lengthy cleanup on a number of factors such as cars stuck on roadways and winds that pushed snow back on cleared streets.

But sanitation workers – usually hailed as the heroes of snow removal – found themselves the subject of some ugly rumors about work slowdowns and job actions.
Workers and supervisors, who are represented by the Sanitation Officers Association, have seen their relationships with City Hall turn a bit prickly in recent months.

Over the past two years, the city has hired just 200 sanitation workers while hundreds more have retired. That left about 5,800 sanitation workers – the lowest number in years.

Harry Nespoli, head of the Uniformed Sanitationmen’s Association, which represents rank and file workers, had warned city officials that size may not be enough to battle a big storm.

The city and Deputy Mayor Stephen Goldsmith responded with a plan that angered many – hire 100 new sanitation workers and demote 100 supervisors to help fill the depleted ranks.

Another 100 supervisor positions will be eliminated through attrition.

Goldsmith, the former mayor of Indianapolis, has plans to change the way some agencies and city workers do their jobs. He is overseeing the “Workforce Reform Task Force” which is slated to deliver its report shortly.

On its website, the Sanitation Officers Association has this to say about Goldsmith:
“Although it may be hard to comprehend, this one individual in a futile attempt to save money will be spending more this winter and risking lives unnecessarily.”

One sanitation supervisor said any blame for the cleanup rests on the shoulders of the city and not workers.

“They were so unprepared for this storm,” said the supervisor. “They were scrambling like crazy on X-Mas Day calling people and trying to get them to come in.”

But Nespoli said that was not the problem.“The manpower was in place,” he said. “At 7 a.m. Sunday morning, we had half the force in.”

But Nespoli admitted morale was low among workers and supervisors alike.

“When you start doing things like demoting people, it’s not the right thing to do,” he said.

At a press conference Tuesday, Doherty – who has risen through the ranks of the department – said he hasn’t seen a drop in morale.

“I spend a lot of hours out on the street,” said Doherty. “I don’t get that coming back to me.”

The demotions are slated to take place after the new year.

“Our people are out there on 14-hour shifts,” said Nespoli, who went to City Hall Tuesday to clear the air with Deputy Mayor Stephen Goldsmith. “You don’t do a job action and put your workforce to work. We’re going to get through this thing.”

(Source: NY Daily News)