SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: Rubber Room Indignities at 1230 Zerega Ave Bronx

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Rubber Room Indignities at 1230 Zerega Ave Bronx

While sitting around in the Rubber Room at 1230 Zerega Ave last Monday, October 6th, we yet again found out that what others think of us, as if it were really a surprise.

Doing what one usually does in the Rubber Room the big macha, along with his two deputies, of 1230 Zerega Ave came to address all 11 of us. Why were we blessed with his presence?

A little background.

We are warehoused in the large, 10 table, approximately 36 seat cafeteria. In this cafeteria there are two vending machines (One for snacks, the other for beverages). We are also blessed with a former 7-Up soda refrigerator where we can store our food. We are also have a toaster and a microwave.

There is also a 42 inch flat screen LCD-HD TV in there. Hanging up in the corner. We can watch the TV whenever we want. Sadly there is no cable, we just get the over the air channels and whatever corresponding digital channels come along. We just don't have the remote. That is under lock and key by a receptionist, Mrs Forest Gump, in the enrollment center. No one know why she has such specialized attention.

The Rubber Room/Cafeteria at 1230 Zerega Ave.

About 10 days ago we decided to turn on the TV to watch the latest Channel 4 news when Mrs Forest Gump comes into the cafeteria to eat her lunch. We were then hoping to watch New York Live right after but Mrs Forest Gump would have none of it. She had to watch her stories. We were subjected to the Young and the Restless.

It was attempted that we have every right to watch the TV as her and out of courtesy she should at the very least consult with us, ask us, what we want to watch or if it is OK to change the channel. Her reply was quite typical;
"This is MY cafeteria, 'you people' don't even belong here."
Umbrage was taken at this and it was reported. It didn't have to happen this way. It could have been worked out, a compromise found. But Mrs Forest Gump had to insult and degrade us.

Which brings us to Monday.

So like Fielding Mellish had to listen to the general, I too, as well as my colleagues had to listen to the leader of the building belittle and humiliate us. 

He told us in no uncertain terms that we are not in a Rubber Room and we should not call where we are a Rubber Room. We are in the cafeteria.

That there are 180 people at the Zerega Ave complex and that it is very convenient to the 6 train, the Hutch, the Bruckner, the Cross Bronx and the Whitestone and Throgs Neck bridges. Oh, and the parking is out of this world.

There is no other place to put us at Zerega and this is where we must be as he talked condescending to us implying we should be grateful for the amenities we have (See above).

But he would like one thing from us. We must leave the Rubber Room, oops, the cafeteria from 12:30 to 1:30 so the rest of the staff at Zerega can eat lunch. Never mind that half the building is out at schools and whatnot and the rest are eating lunch at their desks. We must vacate or as he implied;
 "We can find other reassignment centers in the Bronx for you."
When asked that even if everyone in the building wished to eat lunch at that time there isn't enough room for everybody, he ignored that and shared that people wish to converse with one another at lunch and talk about the travails of the New York Jets and we will be inhibiting such dialogue.

We were told we can go to lunch (But not in the cafeteria), sit in the bullpens of our networks, sit in unoccupied meeting rooms, or the copy room. But NOT IN THE CAFETERIA!!

This is really unacceptable. We are professionals and human beings. We have already lost a great deal of respect and dignity from others, why must this person come in and kick us when we are down. The Leader even admitted that it was true that this decree was in response to the complaint about Mrs Forest Gump. The same Mrs Forest Gump that insulted the teachers in the Rubber Room last year and the same decree was declared. There is a pattern here for the Leader to notice. Mrs Forest Gump does not play and work well with others.

And if you are asking yourself is the cafeteria overcrowded due to the exodus of the Rubber Room inmates? Not exactly. Mrs Forest Gump has been the lone person having lunch there from 12:30 to 1:30 everyday and watching her stories unfettered.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Call Mulgrew. Maybe he'll stop by and give the guy a punch in the face.

Anonymous said...

Disgusting treatment of teachers. It is unprofessional for Ms. Gump to watch her stories on school property even if she is on her lunch time as opposed to a news or informative program like you all wanted to view.

But, hang in there. This too shall pass.

Anonymous said...

Send this to the Daily News! They love to print stories like this!

Francesco Portelos said...

Except the Daily News will turn it against teachers there, most of which are whistleblowers, instead of asking HR Exec Director Katherine Rodi and Administrative assistant Michele Nacht why this process exists.

It's now 4.5 years since they closed the Rubber Rooms.

News conference on eliminating the so-called "rub…: http://youtu.be/nYiN0Pr1Svc

Francesco Portelos said...

I'd like to know the name of these people. Perhaps we should do some FOIL requests on purchase orders for said TV, fridge and furniture etc

FidgetyTeach said...

Looks like nothing has changed in the "closed" rubber rooms that are still in existence. A rubber room is not just a place, but a process, an intolerable working practice that too many of us know all too well. NYC Rubber Room Reporter @( http://search.aol.com/aol/search?enabled_terms=&s_it=comsearch&q=nyc+rubber+room+reporter+rubberization ) describes it best; "RUBBERIZATION"
The word "rubberization" is a new word that is used to describe the process of assigning and paying people to sit and do nothing in a drab room away from their place of employment while their employers make up charges that allege sexual or corporal misconduct without any facts upon which to base the allegation on.

Anonymous said...

I watched Episode #1 of "The Young and the Restless" on Monday, March 26, 1973.

I've watched it occasionally over the years and find the show to be on the more interesting side.

While on vacation in Los Angeles in 1984 and 1985, I visited the set of Y & R each year. The show tapes at CBS Television City (7800 Beverly Boulevard, which is in the Fairfax District).

http://www.cbstelevisioncity.com

I found that the cast, crew, and production staff took their work very seriously.

Therefore, I wouldn't have minded Mrs. Gump's choice of program. However, I agree with the notion that if she enters a room where a group of people are watching TV, then she should ask if it's O.K. to switch the channel, rather than just simply making a snarky or mean-spirited remark.

And what's the point of continuing the practice of having rubber rooms?

Wouldn't it make more sense to tell the people who are awaiting administrative trials or the results of investigations to just stay home?

What is the Division of Human Resources afraid of?

Are they afraid that some people will:

1) find paid work from home?

2) refuse to stay home?

3) find paid work on the outside?

Anonymous said...

Tell the old crow to watch the crap on her iphone and leave everyone alone. You old crow...oh yeah, she does not have an iphone she has a flip phone, black