Who We Represent

Vice President

Joseph L. Key began working for the Department of Education in the Office of School Lunches as an Office Assistant in December 1965. His job at the Long Island City location included typing, calculating the number of lunches served, coordinating mailings, and delivering interoffice information, before email and faxing.

Not even three years later, however, he was drafted by the U.S. Army, and in June 1968, he began his training at both Fort Gordon, Georgia, and Fort Lewis, Washington. Post training, Key was sent to Vietnam for a one-year tour of duty as a Private First Class, Infantryman, during which time he was awarded three Bronze Stars for Heroism in Ground Combat. Before leaving Vietnam, he was promoted to the rank of Specialist, and on June 4, 1970, Key received an honorable discharge.

Upon re-entry to civilian life, Key returned to the Office of School Lunches, and was immediately promoted to Assistant Supervisor of Purchasing. After a 1975 city audit that recommended a reorganization of the department, he was again promoted, this time to the title of Education Officer and Director of Inventory Control. However, Key knew that civil service protection would provide him with a more secure and stable future. In 1985, he took the Procurement Analyst test and was certified as a Procurement Analyst Level 111/Director of Inventory Management.

In the mid-1990s, the Chief Administrator of Office of Support Services (OSS) was so impressed by Key’s skills that he asked if he would be willing to take on dual assignments. He appointed Key as the EEO Officer for OSS. Key’s additional duties included investigating approximately 175 complaints of discrimination, sexual harassment, and harassment, reporting his findings, and making recommendations as to further actions.

Never one to sit back and let an opportunity slip by, Key was also becoming very involved in Local 300 during the same time he was juggling two job titles. With some knowledge under his belt of what it was like to help co-workers, in 2001 Key ran for Shop Steward at the Department of Education and won; he was also elected as an Executive Board member. Having represented the members so well as a Shop Steward, three years later, in 2004, he was elected as the Local 300 Vice President. On May 12, 2012, he retired from the New York City Department of Education as a Procurement Analyst Level III/Director of Inventory Management, OSS. However, he continues on as the Local’s Vice President, representing members with grievances and discipline charges, negotiating contracts, and handling the duties of the President during his absence. In addition, he serves as a Trustee of the Welfare Fund.