Former Stony Brook Hospital Valets Call For Jobs Back In Rally
STONY BROOK, NY — Dozens of union parking valets rallied outside Stony Brook University Medical Center demanding their jobs back on Thursday, the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union Local 1102 said.
The hospital’s long-time parking vendor was replaced with Parking Systems Inc. by hospital administration, and 30 people lost their jobs, and unfair labor practice charges have been filed which the National Labor Relations Board is investigating, according to the union.
A spokeswoman for the National Labor Relations Board said its Brooklyn office is investigating.
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Former valet Ramon Perez said the reason he and his colleagues are rallying “is because we lost our jobs.”
“I have fifteen-years of experience and many others with 10-plus years of experience,” he said. “There are families like mine who were relying on this work to provide for the holiday season. That’s all been destroyed and derailed because we suddenly have no income. We call on Stony Brook to reinstate us now.”
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In a statement to Patch hospital officials said, the medical center “is dedicated to fostering a positive work environment where all are valued, supported and respected.”
“Contracts like this one are awarded using New York State finance laws and State University of New York procedures,” the statement read.
A representative from Parking Systems Inc. said there would not be a comment.
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