December 2, 2010 - Cleary's Notebook News

by Bill Cleary

YO BILL! HAVE YOU HEARD THIS ONE?-Gloucester City Solicitor John Kearney was asked $\"Yo$ whether or not the City was looking into privatizing the paid ambulance service because of the cutbacks in that department.

The union representing the firemen/EMT’s in contract negotiations broke off talks with the City in October. As such 8 firemen will be laid off. The last day of work for the firemen will be December 22.

Kearney said, \”This is perhaps one of the 30 or 40 ideas the Mayor has various folks looking at and this one is very much at the beginning stages. Right now its more of an educational process to understand how this type of operation works and the economics of it. There has been no formal action by Council, nor any public discussion. I expect that this is a fairly long way from conclusion and right now no-one has any idea as to what that conclusion might be. The union lawyer (David Wolf) had tried to get the arbitrator down (to Gloucester City) early to get this worked out but the first date we got was in February. It is a real shame that this has to happen.\”

Municipal Clerk Kathy Jentsch was asked whether or not the City has advertised for proposals to provide ambulance service and she said no.

Gloucester City joins a long list of communities across the state that are laying off police and firemen because of budget restraints and the recession.

Nearby Camden City is proceeding with its plans to lay off 180 uniformed positions in the police department out of 373 position. The city\’s layoff plan also calls for the reduction of an additional 33 nonuniform positions. The Fire Department could lose about a third of their work force or 67 positions out of 220.

Camden, a violent city, has seen 37 homicides this year. A national survey recently named Camden the second-most dangerous in the United States, although police officials have pointed to some recent reductions in crime.

This past week the City of Newark laid off 167 of its 1,034 police officers after negotiations broke down between their union and the city. Cities and towns around New Jersey are struggling this year following cuts in state aid, with layoffs in public safety increasingly common.

Earlier this year Gloucester City Mayor William James said in a prepared statement, \”Is Gloucester City any different from other communities in the State of New Jersey as it relates to the impact of the recession and the Governors cuts in State aid?

\”The answer is no, we are not.

\”Recent newspaper articles and television reports have made it clear that the only alternative to steadily increasing property taxes is cuts in services. With budgetary spending caps, prohibited by law, the past practice of handing out generous pay raises and health benefit packages to public employees is gone, municipalities across the state are being forced to tighten their belts and do more with less and in Gloucester City it is no different.\”

Following the breakdown in negotiations in October Jerry Hubbs, a spokesperson for the local FMBA issued a prepared statement which reads in part,

\”To avoid falling below even the current minimum staffing levels, we agreed to no salary increases for three years, a freeze in longevity pay and elimination for new hiree’s, and other key concessions totaling approximately $500,000.

\” Comparisons show FMBA Locals 51 and 251 have offered the steepest concessions of any union in New Jersey. We have also received accolades from various writers and editors regarding our attempt to retain current staffing in lieu of concessions.

\”Through these concessions progress was achieved and a tentative agreement between the firefighters and city officials was reached June 30th. This agreement was short-lived, as the mayor and members of city council reneged on the agreement. The Mayor and Council refused to agree to a clause that guarantees no layoffs in the fire department for one year.

\”The mayor and city council now say that they will not only refuse to sign the contract, but will layoff 12 firefighter/EMTS instead of the earlier proposed eight. The Firefighters and Fire Officers will now take the same stand as all the other negotiating unions of the City and have a professional mediator/arbitrator decide the conclusion of the contract.\”

At the same time the Mayor was asked what happened? James said the union had asked for additional clauses to be added to that agreement. \”They wanted a no layoff clause. We are in the middle of one of the worst recessions in recent history so there is no way that clause is going to be added.\” He said union members know that firefighters and police are being laid off all across this state.

Kearney said today (Thursday December 2, 2010 ), \” City Council absolutely agreed to the no layoff provision in light of the concessions. The savings from those concessions were what paid for the to be laid off employees. What Council never agreed to, and will not agree to, is the Union demand to include minimal staffing requirements. That is the issue which broke this deal. Part of the future planned savings in the deapartment is shrinkage by attrition and the clause sought by the Union would forbid that from happening. Simply put there would have to be layoffs. The City is agreeable to guarantee no layoffs for the contract term but will not agree to minimal staffing.\”

Municipal employees are not the only profession effected by the recession. The Press of Atlantic City reported today (Thursday) that Trump casinos laid off 250 employees on Wednesday and Shore Memorial Hospital is planning to eliminate 90 positions or 6 percent of its 1600 employee work force.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the unemployment rate remained at 9.6 percent and has been essentially unchanged since May. Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rate for adult men (9.7 percent), adult women (8.1 percent), teenagers (27.1 percent),whites (8.8 percent), blacks (15.7 percent), and Hispanics (12.6 percent).

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