No Justice at Justice

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Members of Local 3719 (Council 26) and their supporters staged a lively noontime picket at the U.S. Department of Justice to protest the arbitrary replacement of 31 longtime workers — all represented by Local 3719 — with lower-paid and less-experienced employees, without benefits. All 31 have worked as "temporary" secretaries in DOJ's Anti-Trust Division. Some were hired with the clear understanding that their jobs were permanent. Among the demonstrators was Carol Venable Bates, a secretary for three years. "They could choose to convert our temporary jobs to permanent positions," she says. "But the so-called Justice Department has opted to fire us all instead — to save a few bucks."