CSEA Speaks Out About Additional Layoffs

As village administrator Robert Schoelle praised the efforts of Garden City's workforce in its ongoing efforts to return the village to normalcy post-Sandy, CSEA Local 882 representatives addressed the board about pending layoffs  - five within the Department of Public Works and one at the Garden City Public Library.

"Any time our people have been called to service whether it be Sandy as Mr. Schoelle mentioned, whatever the case may be, we've always answered the call ... All we ask is that we get the same courtesy back. Sit down with us. We're willing to talk to you," said CSEA Local 882 president Kevin Kirby, who represents 170 union employees who work in Garden City, as he addressed trustees May 16. "To think at this point in time reductions in service will not be affected is ludicrous. A reduction in service is not the way to go, trust me. I'm sure your department heads can attest to that as well."

Before the next speaker approached the podium mayor John Watras assured, "We're not reducing any services."

Richard Freda, a senior mechanic hired to work in the village when he was just a teenager, said he thinks trustees are beginning to lose sight of what makes Garden City stand out above the rest. "It is the above average services provided by the workforce," he said.

Freda, who currently serves as Local 882 vice president, added that these are the workers who, in part, collect sanitation in every type of weather ... make sure village water is safe to drink ... sewage stations operate properly ... enforce parking codes ... trim trees, manicure grounds and plant flowers ... repair and maintain all village equipment ... work on roads, sidewalks and buildings ... sweep streets, pick up leaves, plow roads, shovel sidewalks, battle floods, clear storm debris and remove fallen trees.

"They all safeguard the residents of this village," he said, adding that when the house exploded on Kenwood Road during Sandy police and fire response was "paralyzed."

"They couldn't get their equipment through due to the fallen trees on the roads. They immediately called the rank and file workers to clear the way," he said. "The village was in trouble and your workers never turned their backs on you ... They never abandoned this village. Don't abandon us by using our careers and our lives as pawns to help you fine tune your budget ... Stop the layoffs and let's continue to make this a village your residents and workforce are proud of."

Stanley Frere, CSEA labor relations specialist, represents 173 people "committed to do their job." He asked trustees why the union was not apprised of the pending layoffs.

"Why were we not told as most municipalities have done with me in the 27 units I represent? I have cancelled meetings on the promise of a meeting to be held and be told at the eleventh hour that meeting was not to be held," Frere said. "Our members would do just about anything to save the jobs of six employees and their families ... We have offered proposals. We haven't gotten responses back ... Is it really that important for you to layoff five or six people? Is it going to make that much of a difference to your budget when you're sitting with almost 37 percent in a reserve fund?"

Frere asked trustees to look at the impact because "more is going to be lost here than those six people." "You're going to sour the air in this community among the workers because every employee is going to wonder whether his name is going to picked and a pink slip is going to be in his envelope on payday."

Trustees had no comment.

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