Township Layoffs

[Guest Clifton Update]

Clifton re-hired all layed off firefighters yesterday. In exchange, the fire unions agreed to pay cuts:

CLIFTON — A dozen laid-off firefighters will return to work and a shuttered firehouse will reopen after the City Council approved a contract with the firefighters union Wednesday night.

The move elated several of the 12 firefighters who had lost their jobs, including Charles Stauch, 25.

Stauch had not expected to be back in this position.

"I tried finding other jobs," he said before a Wednesday meeting. "I didn’t think this was going to happen." He said he had applied for five emergency dispatcher positions but got no positive responses.

The council voted 6-0 Wednesday night to introduce an ordinance that will restore the ranks of the Fire Department to 140.

The governing body also agreed to changes to the collective bargaining agreement with the Firemen’s Mutual Benevolent Association, Local 21, earlier this week. The union agreed to those changes earlier this week.

The ordinance to change the department’s table of organization will require another reading, scheduled for May 5, and a five- to 10-day waiting period before it goes into effect. The waiting period is required by state statute, City Manager Al Greco said.

The contract calls for the city to deduct 42 hours of pretax pay in May and again in October. In return, the city has guaranteed no layoffs for 12 months from the time the agreement takes effect. Greco had said the city will save about $600,000 from the salary concessions and money saved on salary during the time the 12 firefighters were laid off. A deputy chief and two lieutenants will also be restored as part of the changes, Greco said.

[Guest Guest]

And yet Kearny PD just hired 5 Officers.... Keep Whining folks it's rather amusing.

[Guest Hoboken Layoffs, Demotions]

16 Hoboken cops issued layoff notices

Saturday, June 06, 2009

By CARLY BALDWIN

JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

HOBOKEN - Sixteen police officers have been sent layoff notices, city Corporation Counsel Steve Kleinman said yesterday.

The notices say the cops are to work until the end of their shifts June 20, according to Vince Lombardi, president of the Hoboken Police Officers Benevolent Association.

In addition, two captains will be demoted to lieutenant, five lieutenants will be demoted to sergeant and 10 sergeants will revert back to patrol officers.

If the layoffs and all the changes go through, the department will have six fewer foot patrolmen, Kleinman said.

Judy Tripodi, the state-appointed fiscal monitor for the city, had recommended that six cops be laid off, but due to bumping procedures, the state Civil Service Commission increased it to 16.

"This was not our original plan, but because of the implementation of demotional title rights, it expanded the plan to 16," Kleinman said. "That's the way Civil Service does things. Judy has determined that she wants to go forward with 16."

Tripodi still has the authority to rescind the layoffs.

The layoffs immediately became a political football yesterday, with the two candidates in Tuesday's mayoral runoff trading shots.

Councilman Peter Cammarano took the opportunity to blame his opponent and fellow council member Dawn Zimmer for not holding the line earlier.

In turn, Zimmer questioned whether it is true that as many as 16 cops will lose their jobs and accused Cammarano of politicizing and exaggerating the layoffs.

A call to the Civil Service Commission was not returned; neither was a call to reach Tripodi through a city spokesman.

[Guest Guest]

Yer Kearny PD Recently Hired 5 New Officers. Congrats to them, and Good Luck to the new Hiree who is in the Academy!!!!!!!!!

[Guest West New York PD Layoffs]

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

By MICHAELANGELO CONTE

JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

WEST NEW YORK - The president of the union representing rank and file police officers said yesterday he will appeal the town's decision to lay off 22 officers who are among 73 town workers slated to lose their jobs.

"We are adamantly opposed to the town's issuance of layoff notices, especially because the PBA was working with the town to avoid this very scenario when the notices were suddenly issued," Tommy Mannion, president of PBA Local 361, said in a statement.

Mannion said the PBA had been considering certain union givebacks to address the "financial crisis that the town has put us in," even though the PBA contract doesn't expire until July 2010.

Mannion said Mayor Sal Vega sent out the notices Friday even though "we requested that the town postpone the notices so we could pursue a mutually beneficial joint resolution that satisfied the needs of the citizens of West New York, the PBA, and the town's administration."

The union leader said he suspects the notices are meant "to pressure the PBA to accept a deal that has not been properly or fully developed or explained to us."

"Fewer police officers equals less service; that is simple math and is the inevitable result of the layoffs," Mannion added.

He said a large number of police officers and other town employees will protest the layoffs at the town commission meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

On Friday, town employees were sent notices informing them of the layoffs, and 73 employees were also notified they would be terminated in 45 days.

Vega said he will continue to negotiate with the three unions representing 112 officers and 340 other town workers, and said if savings are achieved it will reduce the number of layoffs.

The mayor said the town must cut $5 million from its budget to avoid a tax hike. Vega has asked town workers to switch from a health care plan that currently costs the town $29,000 per employee to a plan that costs $16,000 per employee.

Vega and his fellow commissioners face a possible recall by residents who blame them for the town's fiscal morass. Vega maintains he inherited budget problems because of overspending by past administrations.

[Guest Guest]

I STILL see no actual answer to the undisputed FACT that Kearny just HIRED 5 Cops, and IIRC also settled the contract with them..... SO, i MUST surmise then that you are either Willfully Ignorant, or just stupid.

[Guest Civil Debater]

I STILL see no actual answer to the undisputed FACT that Kearny just HIRED 5 Cops, and IIRC also settled the contract with them..... SO, i MUST surmise then that you are either Willfully Ignorant, or just stupid.

Hey, what's with the name calling??

Is it possible that the poster thought you would read this entire thread and realize that your question has already been asked and answered?

Posting:

Kearny had a surplus this year, there will be no layoffs..whats the point of posting an article about layoffs from a town that has nothing to do with kearny?

Response:

Because Maplewood and West New York had a surplus last year?

Does anyone know what the town's fiscal situation will be next year??

[Guest Edison Next?]

Layoffs looming in Edison after mayor reveals $8.3M shortfall

EDISON -- About 75 municipal employees could lose their jobs if Edison unions do not agree to wage freezes and furloughs to help meet the township's $8.3 million shortfall, Mayor Jun Choi said today.

Unions have until July 16 to decide, Choi said while revealing unofficial projections for the township's 2010 budget. Layoffs would begin immediately. Choi today said about 75 municipal employees could lose their jobs if unions do not agree to wage freezes and furloughs to help meet the township's $8.3 million shortfall. "We are committed as an administration to finding savings. We've asked the unions for help," said Choi, who has battled with the police and fire unions during his term. The unions even backed his opponent, councilwoman Antonio Ricigliano, in the June 2 Democratic primary, helping her win the party's nomination for mayor from Choi.

"This is a request for shared sacrifice," the mayor said.

Edison, the fifth-largest town in the state, faces an $8.4 million gap in the 2010 fiscal year. Revnue is down $2,592,615 -- including a $500,000 decrease in state aid -- and costs are up $5,816,642, according to a report by Choi and township business administrator Anthony Cancro.

The union wage freezes and furloughs would account for $5.3 million in closing the gap, Choi said.

"We're hopeful at least some of the unions will either accept this proposal or find alternative savings," he said.

The mayor said he held a meeting with union heads this morning, but representatives from three of the four public safety unions -- the Police Benevolent Association, the police Superior Officer's Association and the fire fighters' union -- did not attend. Those three unions cost the township the most money.

Choi, who saw his pay raised from $49,000 to $75,000, said he will also take a 10-percent pay cut, effectively July 1. The town council voted last year to increase his pay and voted earlier this year to make him Edison's first official full-time mayor.

[Guest Rutherford Next?]

Rutherford to consider police layoffs

(by Daniel O'Keefe - July 15, 2009)

The Rutherford mayor and council voted at the end of a special meeting on Tuesday, July 14, to send out Rice notices to the entire Rutherford Police Department. Rice notices are forms that local governments are required to send to employees to indicate whenever they or their job titles are going to be under discussion. The motion to send out the notices was approved by a three-to-two vote with council members John Genovesi, Rose Inguanti and Joe DeSalvo in support and Maura Keyes and John Sasso opposed.

The meeting at which the officers' jobs will be considered is scheduled for July 29 at 7 p.m. Each officer has the choice whether he or she wants the discussion to be held in open or closed session.

In May, the council sent out Rice notices to four building department employees, including the head of the department, John Uhl. Three out of four of the department members chose to have the discussion in public. Since then the council hasn't made any further moves in public to scale back the department. However, at the same July 14 meeting, the council moved to request an audit of the department by the state's Department of Community Affairs.

The council has met many times in closed session this year to discuss Civil Service Commission regulations and layoff procedures. With an over $1 million hole left to fill in the budget, the council has been looking for ways to save money in personnel. Last week, the borough began a series of 10 biweekly furlough days for borough hall employees. However, since the council was unable to furlough the police as well as it originally planned, the furloughs are only expected to save the town about $250,000 compared to the originally projected $400,000.

[Guest Back to West New York]

22 WNY cops facing layoffs on Friday

Monday, July 27, 2009

By AGUSTIN C. TORRES

JOURNAL POLITICAL EDITOR

WEST NEW YORK - By the end of this week, West New York faces the prospect of having up to 22 fewer police officers patrolling town streets. The 22 officers are among 73 town employees scheduled to be removed from the payroll.

The end of the 45-day layoff process is Friday. For the past three weeks, the Board of Commissioners and PBA Local 361 have been at an impasse on possible changes to the police contract to save money and jobs. The PBA is also seeking an extension of the 45 days, and the union threatens legal action should the layoffs occur.

Police officers, their families, and town residents were among those who attended a recent Board of Commissioners meeting at the 57th Street Middle School. The overflow crowd demonstrated in the street.

Among the speakers at the commission meeting was local resident Angela Rotella.

"You have chosen to target the most important of all offices - our police department," Rotella said. "How can you, in good conscience, even look to these people to make cuts is beyond my comprehension."

Officer Tom Mannion, president of the town PBA, said Mayor Silverio "Sal" Vega has publicly declared 24-hour negotiations, but he said the truth is that there are no face-to-face talks.

The mayor could not be reached for comment. Town spokesman Paul Swibinski said: "Everything is still on the table."

With West New York projecting a $5 million gap in the 2009-2010 fiscal year budget, the PBA said the commissioners would not provide numbers showing how much has already been saved.

[Guest Paterson Too]

Paterson to lay off 59 cops

Monday, July 27, 2009

BY MEREDITH MANDELL

The Record

STAFF WRITER

PATERSON — The city plans to lay off 59 police officers on Aug. 7, according to a plan filed with the state.

Glenn Brown, the city’s acting police director, said the move is financial.

“Listen, we have to recoup money because of budget losses,” he said. The city took a $3 million hit in state aid in the fiscal year that ended June 30.

Brown said the city’s crime rate was the lowest it had ever been and that the police department would still be able to adequately provide services.

Mayor Joey Torres said he’d be holding a press conference on the matter at some point, but would comment no further Monday.

But a union leader said the layoffs “target” cops.

“(Torres) didn’t lay off the firefighters, he promoted them,” said PBA President Detective Steve Olimpio. “He didn’t layoff the library. He didn’t lay off the DPW workers.”

In April, the police union rejected the city’s furlough proposal, the only city union to do so.

“We strongly feel he is attacking us for those reasons,” Olimpio said, in his office with other union leaders Monday afternoon.

Tensions have risen between police officers and the mayor since 26 detectives were reassigned to patrol for a three-month period in April. Olimpio said the detectives have yet to be returned to their prior assignments.

On Monday, Mary Ann Jemison, a spokeswoman with the state Civil Service Commission, confirmed that the city filed a layoff plan on June 18.

Under state civil service regulations, layoffs affect officers with the least seniority, meaning the last two graduating classes of the academy.

Two of the officers, speaking on condition of anonymity Monday, said that at the police academy graduation dinner in May, the mayor promised that he would not lay them off.

“You would think a man’s word is golden,” said one officer, who wished not to be named.

The 2009 academy class would be ineligible for the state’s special reemployment list because they have not worked beyond the required one-year probationary period, according to the letter issued to officers by the state personnel department.

Ron King, president of the city’s Superior Officers Association, said that many of the new police hires are veterans of the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some, he said, are still abroad fighting.

“They sacrificed, their family sacrificed and they’re over there to protect our countries,” King said. “And then they come home and face layoffs. You should see their faces. That’s demoralizing.”

The city’s table of organization calls for 519 officers. Olimpio said that the city currently employs 494 police officers.

At least five ranking officers have retired in the last year and none of those positions have been replaced, Olimpio said.

Meanwhile, the department’s budget increased by 3 percent — from $41.9 million in fiscal year 2008 to $43.2 million in fiscal year 2009.

Olimpio said layoffs would hurt the department financially because it potentially could mean losing millions of dollars in grant money. Grants like the COPS Universal Hiring Program from the U.S. Department of Justice and the Justice Assistance Grant Program stipulate that cities may not lay off officers employed through grants.