Axed Valets Plan Rally Outside Of Stony Brook University Hospital

STONY BROOK, NY — Former valets at Stony Brook University Hospital plan a rally outside the medical center to protest losing their jobs earlier this month, a spokesperson said.

More than 30 union members of Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union Local 1102 lost their jobs on Dec. 1 after the long-time hospital parking vendor was replaced by the hospital's administration, according to a news release. The new company that handles parking at the hospital, Parking Systems, Inc., is non-union, and its management has not hired any members in what the union believes is an attempt to subvert it, union officials said in the news release.

The union has filed unfair labor practice charges against the hospital and the National Labor Relations Board is investigating, the news release stated.

Some of the valets have served the hospital for years, and at least one family has multiple members working there who lost their jobs, union officials said, adding that "as a result of this move by the Stony Brook Hospital Administration, some families have lost their entire incomes."

The union has formally demanded workers get their jobs back, according to the release.

"The decision by Parking Systems not to hire these longtime, experienced workers has left numerous families in our community in dire straits and facing imminent financial ruin," the release stated. "These families, who worked through the entire COVID-19 pandemic and were once the backbone of support during crucial moments for countless individuals seeking medical treatment, find themselves without jobs and, more critically, without notice, just as the holiday season begins."

"The impact on these families – many of whom all worked together as valet parkers – is profound, and we demand the hospital work with the union to explore possible solutions for the well-being of our community members who now find themselves in the midst of an unexpected crisis," the release concluded.

The rally will start at 1 p.m. at the public entrance to the hospital on Nicholls Road.

It is expected to be attended by union workers and leadership.

Patch has reached out to the hospital and the National Labor Relations Board for comment.

A woman who answered the phone at Parking Systems Inc. said there would be no comment from the business.

This a developing story. Check back for updates.