Mayor sends AFSCME members layoff notice

Published 9:59 am Friday, March 2, 2012

 

On Thursday Ironton Mayor Rich Blankenship Thursday gave a 30-day notice of layoffs to employees represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 771. This union includes police dispatchers and employees at the water works, sewer system, street department, trash collection and other public works offices.

This comes after weeks of debate but no permanent budget agreement for 2012 — and with less than a month left before the state-mandated budget deadline.

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Blankenship said he is required to give a 30-day notice to AFSCME as per the contract with that union. Given that the city is working right now with a temporary budget that expires at the end of the month, he was obligated to issue the notice.

“Due to the timing of the notification requirements in your collective bargaining agreement, and the fact that there is neither a funded budget nor a consensus as to how required funding cuts will be addressed, you are hereby notified that you may be laid off due to lack of funding on or after April 1, 2012,” Blankenship said in his letter to AFSCME Local 771 President Brett Layne. Similar letters are ready for the unions that represent both police officers and firefighters both of which must be given 21-day notices of layoffs.

Layne deferred comment to an AFSCME regional representative Sandy Shonborn, who is scheduled to visit Ironton today.

Blankenship said the budgets have been cut so many times over the past few years he has no place left to cut except employees.

“We have a small workforce to begin with and these people perform multiple tasks. They work day and night and in all kinds of weather to make sure the water stays on, the trash is collected and the streets are maintained as best as possible,” Blankenship said. “They don’t make a lot of money for doing this. I’m proud of our workforce.”

City Council Chairman Mike Lutz said he was told about the notification after a city council executive session Wednesday night. He said this particular budget has been difficult because some state revenue streams that the city has depended on in the past, such as inheritance taxes, are being reduced or phased out altogether, leaving the city to scramble to make up the money some other way.

“This is completely out of our control,” Lutz said. “So now we have to either create new revenue streams or make cuts.”

Still, Lutz said he was hopeful that if everyone sits down together Wednesday night, there can be agreement on a budget.

Council member Aaron Bollinger said it was never his intention to have a lot of layoffs. He hopes the unions will accept the proposals to require employees to pay more of their health insurance costs and some of their retirement pickup in hopes of freeing up money and making layoffs less likely. He said, however, the city cannot continue as it is.

“It’s been my opinion we’ve got to make some changes,” he said. “Look at the condition we’re in.”

Right now the city is in contract negotiations with all three unions. The AFSCME union expired at the end of January; police and fire union contracts expire at the end of March. Blankenship said not having a budget in place makes negotiations difficult.

“It’s very much a stumbling block,” he said. “Employees are waiting to see what the budget is for them to negotiate.

“More than 100 city employees are scared for their future and that is unfair.”

The city council finance committee will meet at 5 p.m. Wednesday evening to continue its budget work.