News
Union Files Grievance Against Red Bank Over Furlough Plan
By John Burton
RED BANK - The union representing many borough employees is pushing back against a recent move by the governing body to cut costs by requiring all borough employees to take three unpaid days off.
Kevin Tauro, representing the Communication Workers of America Local 1034, said he was filing a formal grievance with borough officials and state officials.
Tauro, at the borough council meeting on Monday, announced he was taking this step because of the borough officials' action.
Tauro and the approximately 70 union members employed by the borough as blue collar and clerical workers have not agreed to accept furloughs.
CWA members technically have been without a contract since Dec. 2008, when officials invoked a one-year extension provision in the contract, which has now expired six months ago.
Officials publicly expressed concern over the state of borough finances as they drafted this year's municipal budget, saying the more than a half million dollar cut in state aid, the decline in revenue, the large number of not-for-profit tax exempt properties and the overall difficult economic climate has impacted the borough's ability to balance its books.
Along with other cost savings measures, officials sought concessions from the two unions representing police, PBA Local 39, and members of the CWA, seeking the furloughs.
At first officials said they sought as many as 10 unpaid days off. But after negotiations and reviews conducted by union representatives and officials, additional budget trimmings were found, cutting back the needed furlough days to three.
The PBA eventually conceded to the days off, while the CWA continued to argue its members were already unpaid and have made other concessions previously.
Borough officials last week went ahead with shutting down all borough departments for a day, with the exception of police for public safety reasons, the first in the scheduled three days planned.
The grievance, Tauro charged the council and Mayor Pasquale Menna, was because the officials had engaged in unfair labor practices, "for not bargaining in good faith," and for implementing the furloughs, exceeding the officials' authority.
"I thought you had a bit more respect for your employees," Tauro told the governing body.
The grievance will be forwarded to the state's Public Employee Relations Commission (PERC) for a hearing sometime in the future, according to Tauro.
The union, Tauro continued, had presented a counterproposal, which would have had the rank and file accept the furlough and a wage freeze for other considerations next year. Borough officials had rejected that out of hand, Tauro alleged.
"They slammed the door shut on us," he said. "We will have to go the legal route."
With the borough and union's actions, Tauro said the contract negotiations have reached an impasse and would require independent arbitrations, which he also planned to seek.
Tauro had previously complained that police had received a three percent salary increase this year, while his members won a 1.5 percent, prior to the furlough agreement.
Without the furloughs, officials said permanent layoffs were the only alternative. "The whole idea was to get some sacrifices from all employees so nobody would get laid off," Menna responded.
Should state labor officials rule in favor of the union, the borough could be forced to pay restitution for the furlough days, according to Tauro.
The borough has scheduled July 23 and Aug. 27 as the two remaining furlough days, closing borough departments.
