Rensselaer County Legislature – Layoffs Put Jimino And Unions At Loggerheads

by Kieron Kramer
There was plenty of media at the Rensselaer County Legislature’s regular meeting on Tuesday evening. Television cameras and reporters from all the Albany networks as well as photographers and reporters from area print media crowded onto the floor of the Chamber, and the gallery was packed with spectators. They were all there to hear public comments from several union leaders in response to the Rensselaer County Executive’s laying off of 27 public service employees.
The Legislature is caught in the middle of the confrontation between County Executive Kathy Jimino and the unions, having passed the 2011 budget two weeks ago – a budget promulgated on the saving of about $2 million by having the public service unions switch their health insurance over to the New York State Health Insurance Program (NYSHIP). According to Stan Brownell, Vice Chairman of the Legislature who represents District Five, which includes the towns of Stephentown, Berlin, Grafton, Petersburgh, Hoosick and the Village of Hoosick Falls, Jimino and the unions have been negotiating, and the Legislature has had nothing to do with them. At the end of Tuesday’s meeting Chairman of the Legislature Martin Reid said, “We appreciate all the County employees who came down tonight. Our budget that we passed had no layoffs, and that is what we want. We hear your concerns; these are our neighbors and our friends. We very much want to find a solution.”
With the budget adopted and the tax levy in place Jimino had informed the unions that if they don’t switch over to NYSHIP there will be layoffs. No one has disputed that Jimino made this statement that to the unions seemed like a threat and to Jimino was just a statement of fact. Mark Burton, a chief shop steward for the United Public Service Employees Union (UPSEU), called this a heavy handed tactic especially considering that Jimino would not promise that there would be no layoffs if the unions switched to NYSHIP. He said the NYSHIP health coverage is not as good as what they have now. Kevin Boyle, President of UPSEU, maintained that there has not been enough time for the union members to review the differences between NYSHIP and the health plans they have now. The Legislature had authorized Jimino to negotiate with the unions at its November meeting. In spite of this, Boyle had brought the vote on this health insurance switch to his union membership. The membership voted it down. Both Brownell and the other District 5 Legislator, Lester Goodermote, said after the meeting that they hoped the union would take another vote on the issue since, they asserted, the vote was very close and the percentage of union members voting was small.
Boyle also said that the union does not want control of health insurance to “go over to the County,” and he suggested that other cuts could be made in the budget to avoid the layoffs. He said layoffs of employees in the County Social Services Department and the Highway Department will result in the loss of services to the citizens of the County, which Jimino and the Legislature have said they don’t want to cut. The Social Services Department has had 15 people laid off. Boyle asked that the layoffs be delayed until January 31 in order to give more time to find a solution.
Todd Smith, President of the County 911 Dispatch Unit and a Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) member, has had one of his permanent dispatchers laid off even before they discussed the health insurance switch. He doesn’t see the cost savings, considering that the other dispatchers will be getting overtime pay to cover the hours, and there is more work now for the dispatchers considering that Hoosick Falls will join the system on May 1, 2011.
Needless to say both sides are playing the blame game. But even at this meeting resolutions were passed that underscore the unions’ suspicions that other budget cuts could save jobs. One resolution authorized the expenditure of $122,228 annually for new uniforms for the Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Office. Another established an enhanced 911 surcharge of 35 cents on telephone bills for each telephone line. This could be called a “back door tax.” There are a lot of telephones in the County; can’t some of the money be used to save the dispatcher’s job? All sides hope some solution can be found. To have 27 families lose income right at Christmas is not a happy thought.
Panther Football Honored
On a more pleasant note the Legislature passed a resolution commending the Hoosick Falls High School Football Team upon a championship season. The resolution states, “It is consistent with the duty of this Legislative Body to recognize the contributions and achievements of the fine youth of Rensselaer County, particularly for scholastic or athletic ability.”
The resolution says that the Panther Football team is deserving of such praise and recognition because it finished its season with an impressive league record of six wins and zero losses and an overall record of ten wins and one loss. This year the Hoosick Falls High School Varsity Football team captured the 2010 Class C Section II Championship title and the 2010 Class C North Division Title. The members of the team, under the guidance of Head Coach Ron Jones, Assistant Coaches Chris Fleming, Eamonn DeGraaf, Josh Furnas, Mark Folgert, Jake Colliano and Chris Stevens, are Brett Bacon, Jeremy Barss, Grady Beck, Derek Bird, Levi Brewster, Matt Brewster, Mike Brewster, Logan Brogue, Brad Burns, Joe Cavanaugh, Steven Colvin, Troy Costantino, David Couch, John Crucetti, James Cutler, Willy Ellis, Brad Foster, Garrett Foster, Robert Fournier, Adam Frazier, Matt Gormley, Ryan Hand, David Hardesty, Charles Hodge, Jake Hodsdon, Ryan Hyde, Donny Kakule, Erick Kaufmann, Chris Marshall, Connor Martin, Mike Mattat, George Mentiply, Isaiah Meyer, Josh Monroe, Erick Mulready, Josh Mulready, Tom Peabody, Aaron Perkins, Ryan Perkins, Quinn Rasmus, Mike Sargood, Jordan Telford, Randy Tutunjian, Kyle Wells, James Willette, Tanner Williams and Hunter Yavaniski. A copy of this resolution, suitably engrossed, will be transmitted to the coaches and team members.
Adjourned In Memory Of Glenn Baker
The Legislature adjourned the meeting in honor of Glenn Edward Baker of Hoosick, who died November 13. The resolution says, “It is customary for this Legislative Body to pay honor and respect to persons who have had a great impact and influence on the citizens of this county; it is with particularly deep sadness that we conclude this evening’s deliberations in honor of Glenn Edward Baker.”
According to the resolution, Glenn was raised in West Hoosick and graduated from Hoosick Falls Central School in 1981. After college he enlisted in the Army’s 101st Airborne Division in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, where he served two years. Upon his return home from the service he joined the family business, Baker’s Nurseries, becoming the fourth generation Baker to dedicate his career to the family business. He was very good at landscape design and brought many new and innovative ideas to the family business. In 2003, Glenn was called to service during the Kuwait War, where he served on the medical evacuation team in Kuwait City. He served in the Scotia Glenville 109th Division of the Air National Guard. Glenn and his wife established the Giggle Squirts Daycare Center, which is attached to their home. Glenn served with the Town of Hoosick Rescue Squad, was a lifetime member of the West Hoosick Baptist Church, loved singing and playing his guitar and keyboard, writing his own music and lyrics, reading, camping, hiking, gardening and traveling with family.
The resolution continues, “Glenn Edward Baker will be missed by his family – his wife Fawn Whitman, his four children, Edward Baker, Dylan and Saige Nuzzo, Lacy Bailey, his parents, Donald and Paula Baker, his sister and brother-in-law, Lisa and Ken Begin, and his grandparents, Paul and Janette Moseley, as well as several aunts, uncles and cousins. Now, therefore, be it resolved, that the Rensselaer County Legislature concludes its deliberations in memory of Glenn Edward Baker and extends its deepest sympathy to his family, fully confident that his contributions to his community will live on to serve as a legacy for all.”
The Clerk of the Legislature will transmit a copy of this resolution, suitably engrossed, to the family of Glenn Edward Baker. At the end of the session Stan Brownell said that Glenn Baker was a childhood friend of his and that he is honored to have sponsored the resolution.