June 30, 2010
Union Busting Assertions Made at Huntington City Council Meeting
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Reporter
Huntington, WV (HNN) – The City of Huntington’s three unions have not had a contract since 2008. t Allegations of “union busting” arose during the Monday, June 29, Huntington City Council meeting.
Danny Plybon, former president of Local 598 of the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employee (AFSCME), made the assertion in response to the Wolfe Administration decision to impose 36 hour work compressed work weeks with ten percent pay cuts upon non-exempt employees paid from the city’s general fund.
Mayor Kim Wolfe made the announcement at a June 4 press conference in which he explained how the executive branch of city government had decided to implement the austere budget brought forth by acute city revenue drops. The plan includes closing of Huntington City Hall on Fridays.
Plybon insisted that implementation of the 2010-2011 budget has unnamed department heads choosing AFSCME union members with seniority for layoff. Further, Plybon said AFSCME employees did not consent to four day work weeks and added no grievance policy exists in this administration for union members.
LOCAL 598 EMPLOYEES DID NOT AGREE TO THE NEW SCHEDULES
Referring to press reports about a consensus on the new schedules, Plybon told council that when members of his local met with the administration at the city garage, they had NOT acquiesced on the work week. Instead, he alleged that a “list” of other proposals made by AFSCME members that had gone unreported. Among proposals Plybon stated had been advanced at the meeting for administration consideration were an across the board 1.5% pay cut for everyone and not allowing supervisory employees to take vehicles home.
(Editor’s Note: Huntington City Council voted to exempt HPD/HFD from cutbacks for reasons of public safety.)
“There is no way this union believed this [the four day work week and associated cuts] is the best decision,” Plybon stated, at which time at least two or more union members in the audience nodded affirmatively. He also told council that supervisor decisions on personnel impacted by furloughs /layoffs were not based on seniority. The result, in his words, leaves some local members working 40 hours, others working 36 hours, and some in a ‘we don’t know’ classification.
“New employees get more hours than older [union] members,” Plybon said.
Ms. Jacobs-Jones contended, “We had to find $800,000” in cutbacks in the new budget, adding that the new schedules would be the most cost effective and service friendly for citizens, since employees would work longer once assembled and city hall would be open later Monday through Thursday.
Responding indirectly to Ms. Jacobs-Jones statement that she and other administrators face similar cuts, Plybon acknowledged, “Everybody’s biting the bullet, but it’s a lot tougher on $28,000 a year.”
Steve Williams asked when overtime begins under the new schedules. Ms. Jacobs-Jones stated that OT would be triggered after 36 hours, which she had previously stated was the new ‘full time’ equivalency, though that would apparently only apply to non-exempt general fund financed employees.
At the Monday meeting, councilman Scott Caserta told council that it was “absurd that these changes were made without [going] in front of council, absurd that the unions have no contracts, and absurd that [the administration] is not honoring grievance procedures.”
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Union Busting Assertions Made at Huntington City Council Meeting
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Reporter
Huntington, WV (HNN) – The City of Huntington’s three unions have not had a contract since 2008. t Allegations of “union busting” arose during the Monday, June 29, Huntington City Council meeting.
Danny Plybon, former president of Local 598 of the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employee (AFSCME), made the assertion in response to the Wolfe Administration decision to impose 36 hour work compressed work weeks with ten percent pay cuts upon non-exempt employees paid from the city’s general fund.
Mayor Kim Wolfe made the announcement at a June 4 press conference in which he explained how the executive branch of city government had decided to implement the austere budget brought forth by acute city revenue drops. The plan includes closing of Huntington City Hall on Fridays.
Plybon insisted that implementation of the 2010-2011 budget has unnamed department heads choosing AFSCME union members with seniority for layoff. Further, Plybon said AFSCME employees did not consent to four day work weeks and added no grievance policy exists in this administration for union members.
LOCAL 598 EMPLOYEES DID NOT AGREE TO THE NEW SCHEDULES
Referring to press reports about a consensus on the new schedules, Plybon told council that when members of his local met with the administration at the city garage, they had NOT acquiesced on the work week. Instead, he alleged that a “list” of other proposals made by AFSCME members that had gone unreported. Among proposals Plybon stated had been advanced at the meeting for administration consideration were an across the board 1.5% pay cut for everyone and not allowing supervisory employees to take vehicles home.
(Editor’s Note: Huntington City Council voted to exempt HPD/HFD from cutbacks for reasons of public safety.)
“There is no way this union believed this [the four day work week and associated cuts] is the best decision,” Plybon stated, at which time at least two or more union members in the audience nodded affirmatively. He also told council that supervisor decisions on personnel impacted by furloughs /layoffs were not based on seniority. The result, in his words, leaves some local members working 40 hours, others working 36 hours, and some in a ‘we don’t know’ classification.
“New employees get more hours than older [union] members,” Plybon said.
Ms. Jacobs-Jones contended, “We had to find $800,000” in cutbacks in the new budget, adding that the new schedules would be the most cost effective and service friendly for citizens, since employees would work longer once assembled and city hall would be open later Monday through Thursday.
Responding indirectly to Ms. Jacobs-Jones statement that she and other administrators face similar cuts, Plybon acknowledged, “Everybody’s biting the bullet, but it’s a lot tougher on $28,000 a year.”
Steve Williams asked when overtime begins under the new schedules. Ms. Jacobs-Jones stated that OT would be triggered after 36 hours, which she had previously stated was the new ‘full time’ equivalency, though that would apparently only apply to non-exempt general fund financed employees.
At the Monday meeting, councilman Scott Caserta told council that it was “absurd that these changes were made without [going] in front of council, absurd that the unions have no contracts, and absurd that [the administration] is not honoring grievance procedures.”
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