Reply With QuoteNo cuts and raises. Sounds like all those new legislators voted in a couple years ago are WORSE than the incumbants.
County workers getting Raises
Bonus or cost-of-living raise for county's blue collar workers gains support
About 1,500 employees would benefit
By Matthew Spina NEWS STAFF REPORTER
Updated: 03/04/08 8:12 AM
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A growing number of Erie County lawmakers sympathize with the government’s blue-collar union and appear willing to grant its workers a one-time bonus or a long-awaited cost-of-living raise.
As a group, the 1,500 county workers represented by Local 1095, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, are among the government’s lowest paid. Personnel officials said they averaged about $33,000 with overtime last year.
“How can we have a compassionate government if we don’t take care of the least of our employees who do the most work?” asked Legislator Betty Jean Grant, D-Buffalo, one of the lawmakers who favored a raise when a committee discussed the matter Monday.
Since the AFSCME contract expired in December 2004, the employees have been eligible for raises linked to their years of service, but no cost-of-living increases. Since they received no raise in 2004, they have gone five years without a cost-of-living adjustment.
A neutral fact-finder appointed in 2006 recommended a 7 percent raise over three years but only if the workers started contributing to the cost of their health insurance, gave up some sick days and eliminated “summer hours,” a long-standing benefit that pays the rank-and-file for hours not worked.
AFSCME rejected the fact-finder’s report because the local would have sacrificed many of the gains won at the bargaining table over the years. The administration of then-County Executive Joel A. Giambra also rejected the report, arguing that the concessions would not totally offset the higher wages, Giambra’s negotiating posture during his second term.
Under Giambra, contracts with all of the county’s unions lapsed, and no new agreements were signed. Sealing a new and more affordable type of labor agreement is roundly considered the most important task facing Chris Collins, the new county executive.
Only one other county government union has won cost-of-living raises since its contract expired: Road patrol deputies were awarded 3 percent raises for 2005 and 2006. But the deputies did not appeal to the Legislature. As uniformed employees, they can go to an outside arbitrator, who ordered a settlement.
For the Sheriff’s Police Benevolent Association, the arbitration panel also ruled that deputies hired this year and in subsequent years must contribute 15 percent of the cost of their health insurance, a type of arrangement AFSCME would not accept last year.
Early last year, AFSCME asked the County Legislature, dominated by Democrats, for a raise for 2005, which a legislative body can grant under the state’s Taylor Law. The matter remains pending, and until the request for 2005 is settled, the union cannot resume bargaining for later years.
Under the law, the Legislature can deal only with pay and cannot impose new work rules. With visible movement only in recent weeks, two options are being discussed:
• A raise of some size — 1 percent and 3 percent have been mentioned — paid retroactively to 2005. Personnel officials say a 1 percent raise will cost $2.7 million when paid for 2005 and continued up to the present.
• Or a one-time cash payment of $200 to $750. Officials calculate that $500 paid to each current AFSCME worker who was on the payroll on Dec. 31, 2005, will cost $656,000.
Whatever the Legislature decides, it will affect AFSCME workers in a number of county affiliates, including the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library system, the county-run sewer system and Erie Community College. But Erie County Medical Center, under a court-approved consent decree signed in 2006, need not pay any raise that hospital managers do not authorize. The county would have to pay it, most likely from tax revenue.
County Personnel Commissioner John W. Greenan said the medical center in closed-door discussions has been willing to grant only a one-time payment of about $200. Collins also is talking about a lump sum of around $200, Greenan said Monday.
The county executive does not get to veto the Legislature’s decision since the office already had a say in AFSCME’s raise, during the initial negotiations and in rejecting the fact-finder’s report.
But the Legislature’s settlement would require approval by the state-appointed Erie County Fiscal Stability Authority.
Democratic Legislators Daniel M. Kozub and Robert Reynolds of Hamburg and Thomas A. Loughran of Amherst are among those urging a raise or something more for the blue-collar workers.
Greenan told lawmakers they will be expected to cut other spending to pay for any raise they grant AFSCME members.
“Obviously if this is passed, the money will have to come from somewhere,” he said.
mspina@buffnews.com
No cuts and raises. Sounds like all those new legislators voted in a couple years ago are WORSE than the incumbants.
Where The Hell Is The Control Board ?
Watch your property Taxes DOUBLE in 3 or 4 years
and watch sales tax go up
Actually Their doing mass hiring in every departmentOriginally Posted by PaulJonson
Every Friday they hiring, Sewer dept. Library, etc.............
I hear their even hiring control board
family members, that's probally why their not do anything
Watch your property Taxes DOUBLE in 3 or 4 years
and watch sales tax go up
ECL then will blame and come up the BS it's state mandates,
that's why we have to raise taxes
The legislature has to tell albany a big "Screw You". The are burdening our community with too much crap.
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Just check their Campaign Disclosure statements; you will see the chickens are FLOCKING home to roost on this one.Democratic Legislators Daniel M. Kozub and Robert Reynolds of Hamburg and Thomas A. Loughran of Amherst are among those urging a raise or something more for the blue-collar workers.
Unfortunately, the Democratic controlled Assembly will most likely do nothing about property taxes. New York spends the near the top on education and has close to the lowest graduation rate.
Thanks to the voters, the Erie County is now taking fiscal advice from a guy who foreclosed on his home (Kozub) and a former school board member who ran up a $2 million debt (Reynolds). Well done.
Yeah. Those guys all cruised in as part of the so-called taxpayer revolt.
Some revolt.
WHAT?!
What are you talking about?
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During the "Taxpayer Revolt" election, Kozub was advised by his mortgage company to not pay, force a foreclosure sale and buy his house back.
http://www.wgrz.com/news/news_articl...?storyid=32839
Reynolds was a member of the Hamburg School Board that is responsible for the current $2 million shortfall that school district finds itself in. I believe Reynolds wife now holds his seat on the board.
http://www.thesunnews.net/news.php3?idkey=225
Last edited by PaulJonson; March 4th, 2008 at 10:23 PM.
Just proves that the "Taxpayer Revolt" was little more than exaggerated media hype.
The day we see a taxpayer revolt here is the day hell freezes over.
The people in Erie County like the abuse they get.
A friend of mine just moved to West Virginia. Bought a 375,000 dollar house. His property taxes are 1900 a year.
What BS. My property taxes are 1800 a year for a house assessed at 48,000.
What fricking disparity. I'm going to start looking for a new field of work, and a new place to live. This region is never going to get its act together because we're too busy pointing the finger and squabbling over stupid crap to actually focus on the real issues.
Here's what you do if you want real change: FILE A LAWSUIT ON BEHALF OF THE TAXPAYERS TO RECALL ALL THESE IDIOTS THAT WE ELECTED.
File a lawsuit against the state for taxation without representation. (If that is a possibility?)
I need a lawyer on this one: What would be the legality of placing state and county taxes in an escrow account---to be dispersed when the taxpayers are actually heard?
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To my knowledge, nonexistant ... you'd be in a heap of trouble.
The Big Bang Theory: God Spoke and BANG! it happened.
They should fire all government workers. Then we'd all be better off.
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