The head of security at Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport abruptly resigned Tuesday after only four months on the job over what he said are “leadership failures.” He also accused management of wanting to get rid of its police department.
Joseph Perkins confirmed his departure from the director of security job he began last September via text message Wednesday afternoon. Perkins had retired that same month as chief of police of Middleboro, Massachusetts, after a 35-year career in law enforcement, including a decade leading the town’s force.
“I came from out of state — I knew no one in the state prior to accepting the job and certainly no one at the airport,” Perkins told Rhode Island Current. “After 90 days on the job, I quickly surmised that remaining employed at the airport under the current administrative leadership was something I would not do.”
He declined to state specific issues that led to his resignation.
In a message to coworkers Tuesday obtained by Rhode Island Current, Perkins apologized for being unable to promote a more positive atmosphere at the airport.
“I am sorry I was not able to become what I and most of you expected when I took this job,” Perkins wrote.
Perkins alleged airport leadership wants to “eliminate the police department and most of all the union.”
Rhode Island Airport Corporation (RIAC) spokesperson Bill Fischer denied the claim.
“There are no plans to eliminate the RIAC police department and the department is properly staffed and able to fulfill its mission,” he said in a statement. The department has 27 officers, he confirmed.
Fischer claimed the airport never received a letter of resignation from Perkins and that no concerns were ever raised to management.
“Mr. Perkins did not notify his department head and direct report who found this development to be somewhat of a surprise – if not odd behavior,” Fischer said.
Perkins said he submitted his resignation to the Rhode Island State Police.
Rhode Island State Police when asked for comment replied as follows: “Joseph Perkins is not an employee of Rhode Island DPS (Department of Public Safety). Respectfully, all questions regarding Chief Perkins should be directed to either the Rhode Island Airport Corporation or Chief Perkins.”
Perkins called his decision to resign “honorable and justified.”
“Walking away and not notifying someone of the issues I observed during my time there is not something my conscience or my professional character and oath would allow,” he said Wednesday.
Perkins said he was a non-union “uncontracted employee-at-will director” and awaiting certification in Rhode Island to be the airport’s chief of police. His departure is the latest personnel change in a turbulent relationship between labor and management at the airport.
Workers organized under RI Council 94 for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) have been working without a contract since last June.
“The abrupt resignation of Public Safety Director Perkins is reflective of the issues the union has been raising for months,” Jim Cenerini, legislative affairs/political action coordinator at Rhode Island Council 94 AFSCME said in an interview Wednesday. “The Rhode Island Airport Corporation treats both their union and non-union employees horribly.”
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 situation escalated further with the firing of the union’s president last October, followed by a trespassing accusation that only deepened the rift.
In November, roughly a dozen airport employees were warned not to destroy records related to the anonymous letters.
Contract negotiations remain ongoing, according to both Fischer and Cenerini.
This article was originally published by the Rhode Island Current.
