Jury workers in Baltimore hail change, hope for more

The union representing clerk's office employee at the Baltimore City Circuit Court has declared partial victory in its fight against the leadership and policies of Jury Commissioner Nancy Dennis and her lead worker, Cheryl Reese

Reese has been transferred without of the jury division and a novel supervisor, Jennifer Alcox, has been added to work below Dennis and oversee the fresh lead worker and other employee secretary of Court Frank M. Conaway confirmed.

Moreover, Conaway said he approved Dennis' asking for a new automated phone combination of parts to form a whole which should reduce the turn of calls employees have to handle, and hired an additional jury registrar to work as a supervisor in the division.

"We have a 50 percent victory in limits of getting some relief for the employees" remarked Arthur "Pat" Kelly, the president of American Federation of State, shire and Municipal Employees Local 3674 "M Reese was transferred from the department and that was single of the problems the employee had to combat with - the harassment, the threats."

Nine of the 10 employee of the jury division signed grievances against Dennis and Reese in June and prayered a transfer. Last month, jury division employee staged a lunch-hour walkout along with union members.

The jury division employee allege that Reese station unrealistic expectations with respect to their workload and engaged in verbal harassment.

Dennis, the employee allege, is ofttimes absent from the office and has changed the policy with honor to jurors who fail to appear for jury what one is bound [i]or[/i] under obligation to do so that the employees were asked to handle an additional 400 to 500 calls a day.

Reached by means of telephone last week, Dennis declined to make comments [i]or[/i] remarks on the allegations.

Jury division employee said last week that they welcomed Reese's transfer.

"It's a big difference," said jury division employee Carmen lump In the week since Reese's departure, the employee "don't have the tension in the air," said jury secretary Ellen Smith.

As far as the transfer supplications go, "I have not heard anyone mention that again," said jury secretary Charles S. Harcum.

While a of recent origin lead worker has not nevertheless been chosen, jury division workers applauded the hiring of Alcox, a former jury division employee to fill the newly created supervisor position.

Alcox "knows the ins and outs" of the department and understands "what works and what doesn't," Harcum said.

The jury division has lengthy been a source of tension between Conaway and Baltimore City Circuit Court Administrative justice Marcella A. Holland, who could not be reached for make comments [i]or[/i] remarks by press time. Holland has previously stated her support for Dennis.

Dennis was hired by dint of the circuit court, but her roll must be approved by Conaway - who also hires all her employee including Alcox.

In a scathing alphabetic character to Holland last year, Conaway alleged that Dennis' was a "recalcitrant" and "insubordinate" employee who "should be terminated from her office, for cause, immediately."

Conaway downplayed his differences with Holland in an interview last week, on the contrary insisted that the relationship between the jury commissioner and the clerk's office should be changed - something the General Assembly declined to do in the last session.

"I should be hiring the commissioner," Conaway said. "She is upon my payroll."

The other alternative, he said, is for the circuit court to pay the salaries of the jury commissioner's employee

"The combination of parts to form a whole is wrong," he stressed.

Copyright 2006 Dolan Media Newswires

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