CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Jody Bryant has a master’s degree in education psychology from UT Martin, and she used to have a career in rehabilitation for the blind.
She herself then began losing her vision at age 50, and she would eventually lose the ability to drive. Instead of providing Bryant transportation to and from work, her employer fired her. She was out of a job. But she still had a place to go.
“At 65 years old, and visually impaired, GCE hired me,” Jody Bryant said.
Bryant, 67, has been working at GCE, or Global Connections for Employment Inc., for nearly three years. They provide her a way home from work, too.
“I really love this job, and I need it,” Bryant said. “Without it, I’ll be homeless.”
That burden of homelessness could become a reality for Bryant. Montgomery County Government is positioning itself to take over GCE’s contract with Fort Campbell, which would endanger the livelihood of several dozen people like Bryant who have disabilities.
County moves on contract
GCE services more than 190 buildings at Fort Campbell through the federal AbilityOne program, which requires departments of the federal government, such as the U.S. Army, to purchase certain services from nonprofit agencies that employ people with disabilities.
The program protects GCE’s contract through a mandated procurement list, but Montgomery County government is moving to take over the custodial contract with the military installation. Court records show Montgomery County put out a request for proposals, soliciting bids from custodial service vendors for the contract.
Team members at GCE didn’t hear about the possibility of the contract’s cancellation until Feb. 24. But conversations about the possibility of Fort Campbell and Montgomery County entering an Intergovernmental Support Agreement, or IGSA, have been happening since 2019, according to court records.
Nick Andruszka, the project manager at the Fort Campbell location, said he heard through GCE leadership that the contract’s cancellation could happen because of fiscal concerns.
“I was told it was due to the Army tightening their belts because of the pandemic,” Andruszka said.
Just days after learning of the possible cancellation, he organized a series of town hall meetings for the 40 local employees and their families to voice concerns and ask questions.
Going to court
To stop any further negotiations on bids for the contract, GCE’s legal representation requested a temporary injunction and filed a restraining order against Montgomery County and the now-retired county purchasing agent, Missy Davis. The restraining order expires March 25.
When contacted by Clarksville Now, Montgomery County Attorney Tim Harvey declined to comment. But his legal response to GCE’s complaint states that the county is not breaking any protective laws by having conversations about the potential of entering an IGSA, or soliciting bids to create a baseline for determining costs for the potential of providing services.
County Mayor Jim Durrett also provided an affidavit stating that no IGSA has been reached with Fort Campbell and no commitments have been made. When contacted by Clarksville Now, Durrett declined to comment.
Harvey wrote for the court that the complaint should be taken up with officials at Fort Campbell or the U.S. Army, and not Montgomery County.
When Clarksville Now reached out to Fort Campbell, installation officials directed all questions to Montgomery County.
On Wednesday, a judge denied GCE’s request for a temporary injunction, citing the nonexistence of an IGSA between Montgomery County and Fort Campbell and that it is not known whether a violation of the AbilityOne program’s mandated procurement list will occur in the future.
The court said Montgomery County will also have to alert GCE at least 10 days in advance of any future talks or of any presentation of an IGSA to the County Commission.
It’s not yet known what benefits a county contract would provide for employees who might replace GCE’s team members, if any, or if employees with disabilities would be hired or accommodated.
About GCE
Forty team members are employed at the Fort Campbell Boulevard location, but there are other locations around the country that also service military installations. Andruszka said his team works tirelessly doing custodial work.
“We give our team members a chance at stability, and to make their own way independently even though they might have a disability. To us, that’s what matters, is support,” Andruszka told Clarksville Now.
In addition to providing on-the-job training, GCE encourages team members to grow in other ways. As a reward for showing integrity or kindness in the workplace, team members are awarded one of five chips. Once a team member has achieved all five chips, GCE gives them a plaque with their name on it and the details of their accomplishment.
They also pay well above minimum wage and offer medical and other benefits.
Team members
Eddie Campbell has been with GCE for five years. In the two years before starting with the company, he held 12 to 15 jobs that he was fired from due to his his inability to focus for periods of time resulting from an ADHD diagnosis.
With GCE, he has support, and he has benefits.
“I have medical insurance, I have dental, I have health insurance. I mean like, if I was to get killed or something happened, my mom would be taken care of. It’s pretty good,” Campbell said.
The same is true for Linda Schadegg, 50, who has been with GCE for the last 19 years. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1996, and her time with GCE is the longest she’s held a job. The only other job she held even nearly as long was just a year.
“GCE gave me a chance, and I gave myself a chance to prove that I can do this,” Schadegg said.
She said the job market is “not very kind” to people who have disabilities. Schadegg said she doesn’t think employers don’t care; it’s that they’re ignorant when it comes to what it means to need work while having a disability.
Alyssa Twine, 30, has been working at GCE for two years. She wants to be an English teacher. When she was younger, she fell in love with reading books and writing poetry, and she is taking classes at Austin Peay State University.
Twine said she has been having seizures since she was 2 years old. When she feels an epileptic episode coming on at work, GCE is flexible and allows her to go home and rest rather than immediately calling an ambulance.
Other employers have fired her for the seizures.
“In less than a year, I’d get a job and they’d just let me go because I’m a liability to the company.”
“It’s like a home to me,” she said. “They all feel like family. I’m connected in the same way with people with disabilities.”