East Hartford is scrambling to clear roads and sidewalks as forty percent of the town Public Works crews called in sick as a protest over working conditions.

The crews took the occasion of the first major snow storm of 2021 to conduct their ‘sick-out’ forcing Mayor Marcia Leclerc to resort to using the town-wide emergency call system to warn residents and businesses that snow removal will be slower than normal. Buried within the winter storm alert was the following: “The Public Works Department has deployed all available employees and plow trucks and asks for the publics (sic) support as we deal with diminished staffing availability.”

Short-staffed, the East Hartford Public Works has taken the sidewalk plow workers off that duty and put them behind the wheel of the larger, 4- and 6-wheeled snow plow and sanding trucks. As of 4 p.m. snow continues to fall steadily with only a single pass being made on many East Hartford roads and streets.

The reason for the sick out were said to be related to staffing assignments on town plow trucks during the previous winter snowstorm January 26. Some plow operators were sent home after their regular shift, while others were asked to stay on to finish snow cleanup, typically meaning overtime. Drivers claimed that having half the drivers stay and work the overtime while sending others home created an unsafe working condition.

But the union representing the Public Works employees said it did not know the reason for the call-outs. Larry Dorman, public affairs coordinator of AFSCME Council 4 in New Britain, the parent union of Local 1174, the East Hartford Public Works Union, reacted to its members calling out sick on the day of Monday’s snowstorm: “We are aware that several public works employees called out from work today. We don’t know the reasons behind the call-outs, but it was not organized by the union.”

On Thursday the Highway Dept. union leaders issued a statement through Dornan’s office in New Britain saying the “40 percent” number was exaggerated and the actions of the union members had been mischaracterized by the mayor. They intend to file a formal complaint against the town administration.

Jason Fox, President, and Robert Gompper, Vice President of Local 1174 of of AFSCME, which represents 51 East Hartford Public Works employees, , issued the statement in response to allegations of a “sick-out” during Monday’s winter Storm Cooper: “Our union wants to set the record straight about the false public narrative that came out of Monday’s storm.

“We take issue with the town’s characterization of the call-outs as intentional. The Public Works Department has 59 budgeted positions, of which 51 are currently filled. All divisions are called on to help during a storm, although the Highway Division carries the bulk of the responsibilities. There are currently 19 filled positions within the Highway Division. The seven call-outs included one employee who was already on sick leave that rolled over, one who was getting a COVID test and one who has been out dealing with ongoing medical issues. However you do the percentages, the number was not 40%.

“We feel the town misrepresented the figures to direct attention away from a lack of preparedness and planning. Our union members are dedicated public employees who work hard and do their best for town residents and businesses. We want the townspeople to be safe.

“Our parent union, Council 4, will file an unfair labor practice complaint against the Town of East Hartford in response to their actions. We don’t take this action lightly. We want to make it clear that we are committed to peaceful labor relations. At the same time, we should not be turned into public scapegoats for a problem that’s not of our making.”

The major winter snowstorm began early Monday and is expected to continue through to Tuesday with 10-18 inches of snow expected. The snow canceled the drive-thru vaccination and COVID-19 testing appointments and clinics at Rentschler Field off Silver Lane, but Tuesday’s Foodshare distribution may take place as expected at 9:30 a.m. Check the Foodshare website to be sure before heading out. The Foodshare has added a Thursday distribution at Rentschler this week.

East Hartford has a parking ban in effect on all streets. Any vehicle parked on the street during a parking ban is subject to being ticketed by the Police Department. Any vehicle parked on the street during the parking ban will be towed if it hinders the plowing operation at any time or it is parked on the street during the final clean up. It remains in effect until the East Hartford Police Department lifts the ban. If questions call 860-528-4401.