Connect with us

Rhode Island

Rhode Island T.F. Green warns employees not to destroy records as labor dispute continues • Rhode Island Current

Published

on

Rhode Island T.F. Green warns employees not to destroy records as labor dispute continues • Rhode Island Current


Roughly a dozen employees at Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport have been warned not to destroy records over what the airport’s legal team has described as “tortious interference” with business operations.

Tortious interference is the legal term for intentionally damaging someone else’s contractual or business relationships with others, causing economic harm.

Letters sent out Wednesday by Providence attorney Michael DeSisto claimed some workers sent anonymous derogatory correspondence about the Rhode Island Airport Corporation (RIAC) to regulatory agencies, airlines, and cargo partners with the intent to interfere with airport operations. 

“These actions caused RIAC reputational harm and triggered Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) involvement which required RIAC to activate its federally regulated continuity of operations plan,” DeSisto wrote.

Advertisement

DeSisto demanded workers not to remove paper records unless necessary to preserve them. His letter notes that electronic correspondence such as emails, voicemail, WhatsApp messages, and even floppy disks should also be retained.

Recipients were both current and former employees as well as union members and nonunion members, according to a statement issued by RIAC Thursday.

In early October, RIAC announced it had retained DeSisto’s firm after learning airlines received anonymous letters claiming the airport had a toxic work environment — including one sent to airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration claiming the airport would be closed Aug. 13 due to an employee walkout. No walkout ever happened.

The anonymous letters threatening the walkout came as airport and union leadership negotiated a new three-year contract contract after the most recent one expired in June. A tentative agreement reached between airport executives and union leaders in September was rejected by rank-and-file members. Management and union negotiators are scheduled to meet sometime next week, RIAC spokesperson Bill Fischer said Friday.

RIAC Chief of Staff Brittany Morgan previously told Rhode Island Current that the threat of a walkout cost the airport “hundreds of thousands” of dollars to comply with federal mandates to line up outside contractors to cover union positions if necessary.

Advertisement

“It is unfortunate that it has come to this, but this investigation is required to ensure that individuals – regardless of their motivations — will not impact our ability to fulfill our mission, provide Rhode Islanders with an abundance of direct routes, fulfill obligations to our airline partners and serve as a true economic engine for the State of Rhode Island,” Morgan said in a statement issued Thursday.

The investigation by RIAC into the letters is one of many bumps added to the turbulent relationship between employees and management.

Airport officials on Oct. 29 fired Steven Parent, a lieutenant in T.F. Green’s fire department since 2013. Parent in 2019 became president of Local 2873 of RI Council 94 for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) — which represents roughly 120 employees.

RIAC claimed he “knowingly and willfully engaged in efforts to sabotage airport operations” by discouraging people from applying for jobs at the airport and taking in overtime pay covering for the vacant positions — allegations that were also highlighted in DeSisto’s letter.

Jim Cenerini, legislative affairs/political action coordinator at Rhode Island Council 94 AFSCME said the union is pursuing all contractual and legal avenues to defend its members in response to the notices sent by DeSisto.

Advertisement

“The union will not be coerced, intimidated, or bullied by dictatorial tactics,” Cenerini said in an emailed statement Friday.

GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Rhode Island

Authorities ID man killed in Thanksgiving crash on Mass. highway near Rhode Island

Published

on

Authorities ID man killed in Thanksgiving crash on Mass. highway near Rhode Island


Authorities have identified the person who died in a crash involving a vehicle and a tractor trailer on a Massachusetts highway on Thanksgiving morning.

Carlos Chavez Martinez, 28, of Providence, Rhode Island was killed in the crash that happened on Interstate 95 near North Attleborough on Thursday, Nov. 27, according to the office of Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III.

At 2:30 a.m., state troopers responded to the crash involving a tractor trailer and a motor vehicle on I-95 south near mile marker 9.2 in North Attleborough, Quinn’s office said.

Officers found a white Audi sedan on the right side of the highway. The sedan had collided with a tractor trailer that was parked in a rest area. The Audi had “catastrophic damage on top of a guardrail and adjacent to the rear wheels of the trailer,” according to Quinn’s office.

Advertisement

The Audi’s driver, later identified as Chavez Martinez, was found unresponsive and still in the driver’s seat. Paramedics pronounced him dead at around 2:40 a.m.

The tractor trailer was driven by a 40-year-old man who did not appear to be injured, according to Quinn’s office.

The crash remains under investigation by the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office along with the Massachusetts State Police.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Rhode Island

Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency’s alert system down after cybersecurity incident

Published

on

Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency’s alert system down after cybersecurity incident


Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency said its CodeRED notification system is down after a national cybersecurity incident.

According to officials, the OnSolve CodeRED emergency notification platform was involved in a cybersecurity incident recently.

The platform, which is provided by the vendor Crisis24, remains unavailable.

“Because RIEMA utilizes additional alert and warning systems beyond CodeRED, at no time during this incident did the state lose the capability to alert and warn the public,” RIEMA said in a statement.

Advertisement

RIEMA said CodeRED alert system can store the name, address, email addresses, phone numbers and passwords of users that signed up to receive the alerts.

The company told NBC 10 News’ sister station in Seattle, “We confirm that data potentially associated with the legacy OnSolve CodeRED platform has been published online following a targeted attack by an organized cybercriminal group. The attack also resulted in damage to the OnSolve CodeRED environment.”

Agency officials said state and local communities will use additional messaging platforms to issue emergency alerts.

CodeRED advised users to update their passwords if they’ve reused the same one on other accounts.

Comment with Bubbles
Advertisement

BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT

“The vendor is working to expedite the migration of users to their new CodeRED product, which has undergone enhanced security hardening,” RIEMA said in a statement.



Source link

Continue Reading

Rhode Island

Rhode Island secures 90-75 win against Temple

Published

on

Rhode Island secures 90-75 win against Temple


ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Jonah Hinton’s 25 points helped Rhode Island defeat Temple 90-75 in a consolation game of the ESPN Events Invitational Adventure Bracket on Wednesday.

Hinton shot 8 for 11, including 7 for 10 from beyond the arc for the Rams (6-2). Tyler Cochran scored 20 points and added nine rebounds and three steals. Jahmere Tripp shot 5 of 7 from the field, including 1 for 3 from 3-point range, and went 3 for 4 from the line to finish with 14 points, while adding six rebounds.

The Owls (4-3) were led in scoring by AJ Smith, who finished with 18 points. Temple also got 11 points and seven rebounds from Derrian Ford. Masiah Gilyard finished with 11 points.

Advertisement

The game was close heading into the half, as Rhode Island held a two-point lead, 41-39. Hinton paced their team in scoring through the first half with 14 points. Rhode Island took a nine-point lead in the second half thanks to a 9-0 scoring run. Hinton led the Rams in second-half scoring with 11 points.

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending