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Longtime Hartford recreation workers allege unfair hiring, lost hours and cuts to summer programs
Summary
Two longtime recreation workers told the council they were denied hours and replaced by nonunion hires; one worker described being "ambushed" on a three-way phone call and said summer camps and meals were cut back.
Michael Downs and Shirley Mims, both Hartford residents who identified concerns about the Department of Recreation, used public comment to call for changes in department leadership and staffing.
"It's way over his head in that job. He has no idea what he's doing. He hires non union workers. And calls them union workers," Michael Downs said, referring to Department of Recreation Director Brian Gallagher. Downs told the council he first raised concerns when Gallagher was approved as director and said he still believes Gallagher is not qualified.
Shirley Mims, who said she has worked with city recreation programs for about 30 years, described a dispute over hours and a blocked grievance process. Mims said she had been told there would be summer hours available but later was told there were none. She said she was "ambushed" on a three-way phone call involving Gallagher, Troy McCoy and a staff member named Christine and that managers later said conflicting things about who had made which promises.
"I have been a union member for 30 years," Mims said when Council President Shirley Surgeon asked whether she was in the union. Mims said other staff were receiving 40 to 50 hours while she was getting about 20 hours. She also said the department ran only one summer camp this year, that lunches for children were not provided at neighborhood sites and that long-running events such as Bellevue Square Community Day had been treated as outside the department's responsibility.
Council President Shirley Surgeon offered to provide a copy of the meeting agenda and said staff would follow up. "We can get you a copy if you would like," Surgeon said during the exchange related to agendas and grievance questions.
No formal disciplinary or staffing actions were taken during the meeting. Speakers asked the council to investigate hiring practices, clarify which positions are unionized, and review how summer programs and meal service are being managed. The transcript did not record any response from Department of Recreation staff themselves at the meeting.
The concerns raised included allegations about hiring nonunion workers, inconsistency in communicating available hours to longstanding part-time staff, and reductions in summer programming and meal service for children. Complainants and the council said they would follow up after the meeting to seek more information.
