Union blasts DeLosh hiring
MASSENA — Union leaders at the St. Lawrence Seaway say they are outraged that Mayor Randy G. DeLosh was picked to join their ranks over an equally-qualified veteran awarded a Purple Heart for being wounded overseas.
Officials with the American Federation of Government Employees Local 1968 called the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corp.'s decision "disgusting and underhanded" and said it was just the latest example of favoritism and politics at play in the federal agency.
And since Mr. DeLosh's wife, Penny L., is employed in the Seaway Corp.'s finance office, union leadership has expressed concerns that nepotism also may have played a role in the hire.
Mr. DeLosh was hired this week to work as a permanent relief-pool linehandler at the Eisenhower and Snell Locks in Massena. According to several union leaders, Mr. DeLosh was chosen over two other men considered for the post, one of whom was awarded a Purple Heart after being wounded in Somalia.
Deferring all questions about the hiring decision to the Seaway Development Corp., Mr. DeLosh stated that he did not have any influence over federal agency's decisions. He declined to comment further.
Nancy T. Alcalde, a spokeswoman for the Seaway Development Corp. in Washington, said Mr. DeLosh was selected using routine hiring protocols.
"This hire was subject to a competitive hiring process and all the usual and customary hiring rules and procedures were followed," Ms. Alcalde said. "Beyond that, we have no further comment."
A veteran of the U.S. Navy, Mr. DeLosh had been employed as a temporary linehandler during last year's shipping season, but was laid off in the late fall with a number of other temporary workers.
According to Local 1968 President Fred Carter Jr., federal guidelines require that wounded veterans are given more consideration when applying for jobs at the Seaway, especially those who have been awarded the Purple Heart.
Union officials said the Purple Heart recipient in question is a 50 percent disabled U.S. Army veteran. They refused to reveal the identity of the young veteran out of concern for his ability to obtain employment with the Seaway in the future.
"It was really distasteful what they did here," Mr. Carter said. "You have this veteran, a young man with a family, who is without a job right now. I think he deserved a spot before the mayor of Massena whose wife already works here. Because of favoritism, they went with Randy."
The fact that Mr. DeLosh's wife is employed with the Seaway raised red flags for several union officials, including Local 1968 Vice President and Shop Steward Joe Buffham.
"Penny DeLosh is a high-ranking official in the finance office at the Seaway," Mr. Buffham said. "I don't know if that necessarily has anything to do with it — misdoings, nepotism — but you've got a lot of concerned employees out here who feel that a guy with a Purple Heart should have been selected for the position."
Mr. Carter pointed out that, as mayor of Massena, Mr. DeLosh has also had far greater access to government officials than most candidates for Seaway jobs.
"This guy had private meetings with the Seaway Administrator (Collister Johnson Jr.) during the 50th anniversary last summer," Mr. Carter said. "It's not personal against Randy and, at least from what we've seen, they made the hire within the letter of the law. But it's more of an ethical issue and a veterans issue."
The union leaders said they did not dispute Mr. DeLosh's qualifications for the post, but simply felt additional consideration should have been given to the Purple Heart recipient.
To rectify the situation, they are calling on the Seaway Corp. to ensure the Purple Heart veteran is offered a permanent linehandler job this season and that similar situations are handled differently in the future.
