nothin AFSCME Orders New Election | New Haven Independent

AFSCME Orders New Election

Thomas MacMillan Photo

Cherlyn Poindexter won re-election as president of city government’s managerial union in part by sending out campaign materials from her work email account. She saw her victory taken away from her for just the same reason.

An email flyer from the election.

Poindexter’s victory came in November of last year, when she beat back a challenge from Tom Verderame and was reelected as the head of AFSCME Local 3144, which represents about 360 managers in city government.

On Thursday, an AFSCME judicial panel ordered a re-do of the election. Poindexter (pictured) violated a rule prohibiting the use of employer email accounts for union campaigns, the panel ruled.

Click here to read the decision.

Poindexter remains president of the union, pending a new election, which must take place within 45 days. The election re-do order covers races not only for president, but vice-president, and for a seat on the union’s executive board.

The panel decision was the result of a complaint filed by Local 3144 member Lynn Piekarz.

Piekarz submitted an official election protest in November, just days after the election. Her letter listed several alleged election violations, including that Poindexter got involved in ballot preparation and election logistics, created a hostile work environment, and used city email to run her campaign.

At an AFSCME hearing at the Omni Hotel last month, Piekarz (pictured) presented 250 pages documenting emails Poindexter had sent and received on her city email account regarding her reelection campaign. Several emails contain messages between Poindexter and Jane A. Ciarleglio, executive director of the state Office of Higher Education, using city and state email accounts respectively.

Here’s my new flyer. What do you think?” reads one message from Poindexter to Ciarleglio. The two proceed to discuss via government email the choice and placement of photographs for the flyer.

The AFSCME panel dismissed all of Piekarz’s claims except for the one about the use of email. The panel decision does not, however, mention Poindexter or her opponent by name; it’s not clear whether improper use of email was limited to one side of the campaign or the other.

The Judicial Panel has consistently held that the use of the employer’s email system is prohibited in that it compromises the integrity of the election process, which must be free of employer influence,” the decision states. Consequently, this issue concerning the use of the New Haven email system for campaign mailings is found to be valid.”

The election protest by Sister Piekarz is upheld as to the email issue,” the ruling concludes. The election must be re-run within 45 days of receipt of this decision.”

Poindexter refused to comment on the panel decision.

Piekarz couldn’t be reached for comment.

Verderame (pictured), Poindexter’s erstwhile challenger, said he will run for union president in the upcoming election. He released the following statement:

Today’s decision by the AFSCME judicial panel upholding the protest of our sister, Lynn Piekarz, is testament to the flawed and unfair election of union officers. I welcome the opportunity, this time, to engage in a fair and democratic election with an even playing field for all candidates.”

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