Union President urges citizens to support Mayor's Budget Thursday

Letter to the Eye:

The Common Council is meeting on Thursday, May 13, 2010 at 8:00 P.M. in the Council Chambers of City Hall to propose and pass their budget for the next fiscal year. I am writing as a City of Middletown employee and member of the Local 466 Executive Board. I realize that I’ve now just opened the door for a slew of venomous posts against city workers and in particular union workers. I also have a last name that ends in a vowel so of course I must have gotten my job by “knowing” someone. Might as well cover that at the start.

My purpose in writing is to urge the people of Middletown to support the Mayor’s budget in that it moves the classified union positions from the Board of Education budget to the City’s budget. These employees are part of the classified system, hired and fired through the Mayor’s office. These employees are paid under the City of Middletown’s federal tax identification number. These employees, both unions 466 and MMPA, are covered by the collective bargaining contracts that are negotiated through the Mayor. The same amount of salary will be paid to the employees whether they are paid by the Board of Education or by the City; it’s set by the union contracts. The benefits are the same whether paid by the BOE or the City. However, when preparing the budget, the City identifies each employee and positions and budgets, as exactly as possible, the amount to be paid to that employee, then puts a certain percentage into a line item called salary reserve. This percentage is used to make up for changes in personnel; for example, should an employee leave or retire, generally their replacement is hired at a lower starting salary. This would leave that line item with a surplus at the end of the year. But perhaps in another department, a position is reclassified and the employee given a salary adjustment, this additional needed by the line item would come out of the salary reserve. The Board of Education does not budget using a salary reserve line; they budget full salary. The Superintendent of Schools has stated that if these positions are moved out of his budget, he will have no other place to go if he needs money. My question is then, is there a surplus of funds in his line item in the budget? If no surplus, then I would assume that he’s going to achieve a surplus of funds in that line item from layoffs?

466, the union representing the majority of the classified employees at the BOE currently has something like 25 open grievances or labor action with the Board of Education that would be unnecessary in the past as they would have been handled with a phone cal or a meeting. However, the lines of communication have deteriorated so much that it is no longer possible to settle these issues at that low a level. We’ve several instances where grievances have been adjudicated and the BOE has refused to make the ruled adjustments whether monetary or not.

By moving the payroll for the classified employees to the City side of the budget, the BOE would then be treated like every other department in the City. The employees working for that department would be supervised and directed by the department head. The union contract would be applied equally and fairly to all members.

At the meeting for the departments to present their budget requests to the Council, the Superintendent of Schools referenced a state statute that basically limits the funding that a council can appropriate to a board of education so that it cannot be less than what was appropriated in 2009. The Mayor asked for a legal opinion from Shipman & Goodwin on this statute and although they cannot guarantee that there would not be a violation (I’ve never seen a doctor, lawyer or teacher for that matter, guarantee anything) they were confident that there would not be a violation of this statute. I’m attaching the opinion.

I’m being told that the budget to be proposed by the Democratic Council members does not support the Mayor’s budget with the positions being paid out of the City’s side but leaves the positions in the BOE’s budget. I am asking that the Council not do this at this time; once those funds are appropriated to the BOE they are no longer under the control of the Council. I am asking that they wait – let us get the necessary rulings from the State Department of Education and the State Department of Labor that we need to assuage their fears of a penalty. As you can see in the opinion, the determination of having shorted the BOE is made at the END of the fiscal year. They can move the positions to the City side and then change their minds and appropriate the funds to the BOE later.

Please urge the Council to do the right thing.

Thank you,

Linda Salafia

Chapter C President

Local 466

AFSCME

Common Council Refuses to Approve Union Contract

A gallery packed with union members from Local 466 interested in the outcome of their recently ratified contract were disappointed and angry when the Common Council immediately descended into partisan bickering over the timing of the contract approval.

Republicans argued strongly that the Council should take up debate and approval of the contract recently negotiated by Mayor Sebastian Giuliano while Democrats spoke strongly against any contract which includes a pay increase in dire financial times.

Councilman Vincent Loffredo, visibly angry, insisted that the contract should have been reviewed by the personnel committee before it made its way to the Council, and that there was no time pressure to approve the contract immediately.

"I have a fiduciary responsibility as a member of this board," he said. "And I take it very seriously. We need to consider all facts before we move forward."

His sentiments were echoed by nearly all Democrats on the Council.

On the other hand, Republicans expressed the opinion that the contract was fair, offered only a modest increase in pay, and that the union, in accepting a small increase, set an example for other town unions. The union agreed to a 1-2% pay increase. This increase comes after 2-3 years with no cost-of-living increase.

"The mayor stepped up to the plate and got a definitive number," Councilman Phil Pessina said. He explained that having the actual amount of the increase in hand, department directors could present accurate budgets to the mayor and the Council.

"The Board of Education budget relies, on this," Giuliano explained. "The Russell Library budget depends on this. The idea is to have a hard number for the city budget. Given what we're facing, to be able to go in with a real number is not precipitious."

Democrats argued that considering Governor Jodi Rell's speech to the state just prior to the Council meeting, the city would be better off waiting for her budget to determine how the city would fare.

The union members applauded each Republican speech defending the contract, and when the Council finally voted, along party lines, to reject consideration of the contract, union members rose noisily and left the room.

"I wasn't happy with what I saw in there," Union president Jeff Daniels said outside council chambers. "The union negotiated in good faith. The Council members had the numbers, the union stepped up, and now we're told we have to wait for a decision."