Sen. McKinney, labor leaders ask Omaha Housing Authority to undo layoffs

[Omaha Steve]

By Christopher Burbach Dec 16, 2021 Updated 15 hrs ago

State Sen. Terrell McKinney of Omaha joined former State Sen. Ernie Chambers and local organized labor leaders Thursday in urging the Omaha Housing Authority to reverse its recent layoff of 18 employees.

The workers provided grounds keeping, snow removal and custodial services for the agency. The Housing Authority, saying it needs more scheduling flexibility for snow removal than the workers were willing to agree to in collective bargaining, announced last week that it had eliminated their positions. The agency plans to replace them with private contractors.

McKinney was among a dozen people who spoke against the firings during the public comment period of the Omaha Housing Authority board meeting Thursday, the first meeting since the workers were notified on Dec. 10 that they would no longer have their jobs. The board did not take or consider any action, nor did it discuss the issue, during Thursday’s meeting. Housing Authority CEO Joanie Poore said after the meeting that the agency does not plan to rehire the workers.

“It’s very problematic, especially considering the time of year, to be terminating anybody,” McKinney told the board. “Also, we’re in a global pandemic. And probably the majority of those individuals that were terminated look like me, which is another issue when this organization is tasked with representing, taking care of a community that is primarily African American or minority, but you fire 18 individuals a couple of weeks before Christmas.”

FULL story: https://omaha.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/sen-mckinney-labor-leaders-ask-omaha-housing-authority-to-undo-layoffs/article_155a77fc-5e75-11ec-b51e-4bc38809f6c2.html