July 2, 2009
City Union Employees Working Under Expired Contracts
Administration 'Has Not Determined' Collective Bargaining in 'Best Interest' of Citizens; Picketing Planned Indefinitely at Huntington City Hall
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Reporter
Huntington, WV (HNN) – Members of three City of Huntington unions representing AFSCME employees, Fraternal Order of Police and IAFF have been working under expired contracts for at least one year. On Wednesday afternoon, July 1, workers set up an informational picket in front of Huntington City Hall.
Danny Plybon, a former president of the AFSCME local, told HNN late Wednesday night that informational pickets will be at Huntington City Hall until the administration agrees to sit down and talk contract, whether that takes a matter of weeks or the next three and a half years.
Members of the Police and Fire Departments are invited to join the informational pickets, too, Plybon said. However, they have civil service protections, which AFSCME employees do not.
“I think the police and fire are in the same position we are in,” Plybon said, adding, “they’ve been offered just parts of their contract, the same as we were. We view it that our contracts are in full force and should remain in full force until we sit down and complete contract negotiations.”
Afternoon informational pickets will continue indefinitely. “We’re going to go from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m.,” Plybon said. “We’re going to try to get as many people there as we can. Each union member will have two hours per week picketing. We’re planning on being there 3 ½ years if we have to be. Hopefully, we’ll [just ] be there for a couple of weeks, they’ll get us some dates, we’ll get to the table and sit down like responsible parties.”
“Plybon continued, “ We’ve been trying to contact Mayor Wolfe since he was elected to get some dates set up for negotiations. We wanted to give him ample time to get his feet on the ground. [Wolfe] wrote us a letter in May that he did not recognize our contract. It was supposed to be 60 days before the contract ran out. The contract ran out in 2008.
Yet, based on a statement issued to the press Tuesday afternoon, July 1, by Huntington Mayor Kim Wolfe, the City of Huntington “has not determined if it is in the best interest of citizens to have collective bargaining agreements.” The administration has “offered to sign a memorandum of understanding with the bargaining units related to the working conditions for city employees – in particular, job security and benefits. The City is prepared to discuss the wage and benefit package received by every employee and compare it to the average wage earned by the citizens of Huntington.”
Councilwoman Frances Jackson responded affirmatively to a question by HNN via the phone Wednesday night on whether the statement indicated the possibility that the city may not want to continue union representation by, at least, some employees.
“ That’s exactly how I take it,” Ms. Jackson said, adding “I don’t know if that’s what [the Mayor] means, but it’s how I take it.”
Prefacing her comment by “I really need to look it over and digest it good,” Jackson agreed that the apparent position of the administration “does not come as a surprise.” Later, Ms. Jackson called HNN and reaffirmed her initial reaction, adding, [“I don’t know what it says”], but I bet you the Memorandum of Understanding is not worth the paper it’s printed on as far as the bargaining units are concerned.”
BEFORE ELECTION, WOLFE SAID NOT INTERESTED IN DECREASING AFSCME JOBS
Plybon has also seen the statement and suggested that it may have been written by someone other than the Mayor , as he has always been straight with everyone. “[Before the election] he came to our union meeting and stood up and said he was not intending to change anything. He was not interested in getting rid of any jobs. He talked really good. Now, all of a sudden… we know Wolfe has a good reputation, but some of the people around him are known for trying to bust unions” Plybon said, if the wording was indeed that of the Mayor, “then, he’s made a big turnaround.”
DOES THE ADMINISTRATION WANT TO DISSOLVE UNION?
Referring to the statement made in the press release, Plybon told HNN, “We took it he was wanting to dissolve the union.”
The former union president indicated that one or more council members and members of the administration had spoken in the past of privatization. “That’s scares us,” the AFSCME member stated observing the torrid economic times and the fact that most AFSCME members “just want enough to feed our families and pay our bills. You’re not going to get rich on the wages we are making; you’re just going to survive.” Contrary to the $30,000 average earnings stated in the release, Plybon said, “We have people making only $21,000 a year; most of us average $25-$26,000 a year.”
Still, Plybon noted that Wolfe, a former Huntington police officer and an FOP member, “stood 100% behind our right to picket.”
The informational pickets and statement by the administration follows a proposal to eliminate two union positions and create an assistant public works director at the June 22 City Council meeting. The matter has been referred to the personnel committee, which , according to its chairman Scott Caserta , intends to meet prior to the next regular council meeting Monday, July 13.
(HNN has left a message for Caserta Wednesday evening July 1 regarding an update on the meeting.)
EMPLOYMENT CUTS POSSIBLE ACCORDING TO RELEASE
The release supplied by Mayor Wolfe’s office suggested that by “looking into this new fiscal year’s budget, it is highly possible that some cuts and adjustments will have to be made. The city is faced with shrinking revenues and expanding health care and pension costs.”
That would equate with Jim Insco, council chairman, who at the last council meeting stated the budget projections and situation are “not as pretty as we would like it to be.” At the meeting Finance Director Deron Runyon stood “neutral” on the city finishing the year with “roughly a $900,000 carryover and a contingency in the budget of roughly $400,000.”
Final numbers are not due until shortly after July 31.
On Wednesday, June 24, Brandi Jacobs-Jones told HNN , “It is too early to assess exactly what the carryover will be due to normal fiscal yearend adjustments. The budget revisions [at the June 22 council meeting] represented both increases in revenue and expenses which nearly offset each other.”
However, Plybon disagreed with the administration’s reliance upon dire financial claims.
“The finances are not in as bad a shape as what they are telling you,” Plybon said Wednesday evening , July 1. He noted that various administration positions received $10,000 a year or more increases. To earn that type of money, an AFSCME employee would have to work years and years
“At one dollar an hour [increase], it’s going to take us five years to come up with [a raise comparable to administrative positions]. Regardless, $10,000 a year is a heck of a raise anywhere in this country.”
He added, the city just raised the weekly service fee and “they are crying now wanting to raise our insurance [another] ten percent.”
[You can download in pdf form a copy of the Request for Revision to Approved Budget from the June 22, 2009 meeting, by clicking here.]
However, at the June council meeting, Local 598 president, Jim Porter, stated that the AFSCME union objected to cutting the two positions. Having been union jobs for 30 years, Porter warned that council approval of the eliminations would lead to an arbitration case. “You’re taking an administrative person and putting them doing union work,” Porter said.
Last year, Huntington City Council turned down an agreement ratified by employees of AFSCME Local 598, which represents workers in the public works, garbage, sanitation, streets, motor pool and floodwall divisions of the city.
The contract rejected 7-2 by council would have raised worker wages by $6,240 over the five year contract, which provided no pay increase the first year. Jackson voted against that contract explaining to HNN that she thought the AFSCME workers could do better than what the Felinton administration put on the table.
Plybon, former president of AFSCME Local 598, had at the time of the contract rejection in 2008 indicated the union members would not likely make more concessions.
The administration has been in a holding pattern on the contracts, hoping that the State of West Virginia would address underfunded pension funds. However, the governor and legislature have declined to take up the issue. Despite lobbying, it was not included among topics for the special sessions, either.
However, the AFSCME retirement contracts are not the same as police and fire. AFSCME pensions come directly through the state. “A lot of people don’t understand that,” Plybon revealed.
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City Union Employees Working Under Expired Contracts
Administration 'Has Not Determined' Collective Bargaining in 'Best Interest' of Citizens; Picketing Planned Indefinitely at Huntington City Hall
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Reporter
Huntington, WV (HNN) – Members of three City of Huntington unions representing AFSCME employees, Fraternal Order of Police and IAFF have been working under expired contracts for at least one year. On Wednesday afternoon, July 1, workers set up an informational picket in front of Huntington City Hall.
Danny Plybon, a former president of the AFSCME local, told HNN late Wednesday night that informational pickets will be at Huntington City Hall until the administration agrees to sit down and talk contract, whether that takes a matter of weeks or the next three and a half years.
Members of the Police and Fire Departments are invited to join the informational pickets, too, Plybon said. However, they have civil service protections, which AFSCME employees do not.
“I think the police and fire are in the same position we are in,” Plybon said, adding, “they’ve been offered just parts of their contract, the same as we were. We view it that our contracts are in full force and should remain in full force until we sit down and complete contract negotiations.”
Afternoon informational pickets will continue indefinitely. “We’re going to go from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m.,” Plybon said. “We’re going to try to get as many people there as we can. Each union member will have two hours per week picketing. We’re planning on being there 3 ½ years if we have to be. Hopefully, we’ll [just ] be there for a couple of weeks, they’ll get us some dates, we’ll get to the table and sit down like responsible parties.”
“Plybon continued, “ We’ve been trying to contact Mayor Wolfe since he was elected to get some dates set up for negotiations. We wanted to give him ample time to get his feet on the ground. [Wolfe] wrote us a letter in May that he did not recognize our contract. It was supposed to be 60 days before the contract ran out. The contract ran out in 2008.
Yet, based on a statement issued to the press Tuesday afternoon, July 1, by Huntington Mayor Kim Wolfe, the City of Huntington “has not determined if it is in the best interest of citizens to have collective bargaining agreements.” The administration has “offered to sign a memorandum of understanding with the bargaining units related to the working conditions for city employees – in particular, job security and benefits. The City is prepared to discuss the wage and benefit package received by every employee and compare it to the average wage earned by the citizens of Huntington.”
Councilwoman Frances Jackson responded affirmatively to a question by HNN via the phone Wednesday night on whether the statement indicated the possibility that the city may not want to continue union representation by, at least, some employees.
“ That’s exactly how I take it,” Ms. Jackson said, adding “I don’t know if that’s what [the Mayor] means, but it’s how I take it.”
Prefacing her comment by “I really need to look it over and digest it good,” Jackson agreed that the apparent position of the administration “does not come as a surprise.” Later, Ms. Jackson called HNN and reaffirmed her initial reaction, adding, [“I don’t know what it says”], but I bet you the Memorandum of Understanding is not worth the paper it’s printed on as far as the bargaining units are concerned.”
BEFORE ELECTION, WOLFE SAID NOT INTERESTED IN DECREASING AFSCME JOBS
Plybon has also seen the statement and suggested that it may have been written by someone other than the Mayor , as he has always been straight with everyone. “[Before the election] he came to our union meeting and stood up and said he was not intending to change anything. He was not interested in getting rid of any jobs. He talked really good. Now, all of a sudden… we know Wolfe has a good reputation, but some of the people around him are known for trying to bust unions” Plybon said, if the wording was indeed that of the Mayor, “then, he’s made a big turnaround.”
DOES THE ADMINISTRATION WANT TO DISSOLVE UNION?
Referring to the statement made in the press release, Plybon told HNN, “We took it he was wanting to dissolve the union.”
The former union president indicated that one or more council members and members of the administration had spoken in the past of privatization. “That’s scares us,” the AFSCME member stated observing the torrid economic times and the fact that most AFSCME members “just want enough to feed our families and pay our bills. You’re not going to get rich on the wages we are making; you’re just going to survive.” Contrary to the $30,000 average earnings stated in the release, Plybon said, “We have people making only $21,000 a year; most of us average $25-$26,000 a year.”
Still, Plybon noted that Wolfe, a former Huntington police officer and an FOP member, “stood 100% behind our right to picket.”
The informational pickets and statement by the administration follows a proposal to eliminate two union positions and create an assistant public works director at the June 22 City Council meeting. The matter has been referred to the personnel committee, which , according to its chairman Scott Caserta , intends to meet prior to the next regular council meeting Monday, July 13.
(HNN has left a message for Caserta Wednesday evening July 1 regarding an update on the meeting.)
EMPLOYMENT CUTS POSSIBLE ACCORDING TO RELEASE
The release supplied by Mayor Wolfe’s office suggested that by “looking into this new fiscal year’s budget, it is highly possible that some cuts and adjustments will have to be made. The city is faced with shrinking revenues and expanding health care and pension costs.”
That would equate with Jim Insco, council chairman, who at the last council meeting stated the budget projections and situation are “not as pretty as we would like it to be.” At the meeting Finance Director Deron Runyon stood “neutral” on the city finishing the year with “roughly a $900,000 carryover and a contingency in the budget of roughly $400,000.”
Final numbers are not due until shortly after July 31.
On Wednesday, June 24, Brandi Jacobs-Jones told HNN , “It is too early to assess exactly what the carryover will be due to normal fiscal yearend adjustments. The budget revisions [at the June 22 council meeting] represented both increases in revenue and expenses which nearly offset each other.”
However, Plybon disagreed with the administration’s reliance upon dire financial claims.
“The finances are not in as bad a shape as what they are telling you,” Plybon said Wednesday evening , July 1. He noted that various administration positions received $10,000 a year or more increases. To earn that type of money, an AFSCME employee would have to work years and years
“At one dollar an hour [increase], it’s going to take us five years to come up with [a raise comparable to administrative positions]. Regardless, $10,000 a year is a heck of a raise anywhere in this country.”
He added, the city just raised the weekly service fee and “they are crying now wanting to raise our insurance [another] ten percent.”
[You can download in pdf form a copy of the Request for Revision to Approved Budget from the June 22, 2009 meeting, by clicking here.]
However, at the June council meeting, Local 598 president, Jim Porter, stated that the AFSCME union objected to cutting the two positions. Having been union jobs for 30 years, Porter warned that council approval of the eliminations would lead to an arbitration case. “You’re taking an administrative person and putting them doing union work,” Porter said.
Last year, Huntington City Council turned down an agreement ratified by employees of AFSCME Local 598, which represents workers in the public works, garbage, sanitation, streets, motor pool and floodwall divisions of the city.
The contract rejected 7-2 by council would have raised worker wages by $6,240 over the five year contract, which provided no pay increase the first year. Jackson voted against that contract explaining to HNN that she thought the AFSCME workers could do better than what the Felinton administration put on the table.
Plybon, former president of AFSCME Local 598, had at the time of the contract rejection in 2008 indicated the union members would not likely make more concessions.
The administration has been in a holding pattern on the contracts, hoping that the State of West Virginia would address underfunded pension funds. However, the governor and legislature have declined to take up the issue. Despite lobbying, it was not included among topics for the special sessions, either.
However, the AFSCME retirement contracts are not the same as police and fire. AFSCME pensions come directly through the state. “A lot of people don’t understand that,” Plybon revealed.
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