Efforts of Ocean City Employees Garnering National Notice

Ocean City general employees received some praise on the website of the American Federation of Teachers, a national union representing teachers, public employees, nurses, and other workers in an article published November 2nd:

In Ocean City, Md., city employees braced for the storm days before Sandy hit the coastal community, and followed that up with damage assessment so that city facilities could be reopened. Emergency personnel not only responded to calls during the storm, but also continued to assist residents and visitors upon their return to Ocean City, working closely with the Maryland State Highway Association, the Maryland State Police, the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Guard to make sure the town was safe.

Public Works staff assisted in picking up debris, transporting citizens to and from shelters, and cleaning up the beach. Countless other employees and volunteers worked around the clock monitoring the storm, staffing the Emergency Operations Center and meeting the needs of city residents, businesses and visitors before, during and after the storm. Damage was limited to beach erosion, flooding and marginal debris in some places, but the Ocean City Fishing Pier was severely damaged.

General city employees in Ocean City are in the midst of an organizing effort, and are watching a ballot measure that will determine whether they have collective bargaining after Nov. 6.

The whole article deals with the contributions made by public employees up and down the east coast in the aftermath of Sandy.  You can read the whole article here.

Praise Continues For Ocean City Employees

Crews of General Employees were out early this morning continuing the clean up from Hurricane Sandy.

Ocean City employees continued to receive many compliments this morning for their efforts in quickly and efficiently cleaning up from this week’s storm.  On OC 104 this morning (103.9 WOCQ) on the Hip-Hop Coffee Shop Show, one of the hosts, Bill Baker, observed that the employees of Ocean City were doing a great job, and Mayor Rick Meehan responded that the employees have done an extraordinary job with the clean up efforts, including collaborating with state agencies, and how the town should be grateful for all of their efforts.

In the Ocean City Today, in the Public Eye section, Stewart Dobson praised Ocean City employees who were cleaning up in his neighborhood, and a letter-writer singled out Ocean City Transportation workers for thanks for a job well done.  The picture above was taken this morning, as crews of general employees were out ensuring that the Boardwalk would be cleaned up and ready for traffic again come the weekend.

Please remember to support these city workers by voting FOR the charter amendment, and please remember that a vote FOR doesn’t automatically give them the union – it just gives them the right to decide for themselves.  It gives them the democratic voice they deserve!

Ocean City Employees Lead Storm Assessment, Clean-Up

A pair of press releases from the City Manager’s office in recent days have highlighted the work Ocean City general employees have been doing to help get the town back up and running after Hurricane Sandy blew through Monday night.  The first press release, from Tuesday morning, highlighted the way the employees worked effectively with other agencies to do the required assessment work prior to the re-opening of downtown Ocean City:

Town of Ocean City employees are working diligently with partnering agencies to complete the mandated damage assessment to allow residents and businesses into the downtown area as soon as possible. Currently, there is no need for volunteer services…

The second press release, announcing a return to normalcy for Ocean City, came later that day, and made clear the hard work Ocean City town employees put in to re-open downtown Ocean City:

Since before sunrise, Town of Ocean City employees have been working to assess the damage throughout town to determine the effects of Hurricane Sandy.  With no known damage to the boardwalk, the results of the initial assessment included anticipated beach erosion and flooding, marginal debris and severe damage to the Ocean City Fishing Pier.  Employees for the Town of Ocean City have been working diligently to clear storm related debris and return regularly scheduled city services.

Emergency personnel not only responded to calls during the storm, but continued to assist residents and visitors upon their return to Ocean City.  In addition, they worked closely with the Maryland State Highway Association, the Maryland State Police, the US Coast Guard and the National Guard to make sure the town was safe for citizens to return. Public Works staff assisted in picking up debris, transporting citizens to and from shelters and cleaning up the beach.  Not to mention, countless employees and volunteers who worked around the clock monitoring the Hurricane, staffing the Emergency Operations Center and meeting the needs of the residents, businesses and visitors before, during and after the storm.

Ocean City was able to survive Hurricane Sandy in realtively good condition, thanks in no small part to the efforts of its many general employees.  Clean-up will of course continue right through to election day, keeping general employees busy making Ocean City safe and beautiful again.

The end of the press release by the City Manager’s office said it best:

Due to the preparedness of… the employees, the Ocean City community experienced zero storm related injuries and minimal city-wide damage.

Please remember to thank a town employee when you see one, and please remember to show your support for the general employees by voting FOR the charter amendment on Tuesday!