The town of West New York and the local police union said last week that they are willing to continue negotiations regarding layoffs and benefits, after 22 police officers were recently given pink slips. This followed three months of private talks between both entities.
The town also had notified 51 other town employees that they would be out of a job in 45 days, or by July 31.
After a tax increase was needed to balance the budget last year, the town aims to at least equalize, and maybe even decrease, taxes in the upcoming fiscal year. That year will begin July 1, 2009 and end June 30, 2010.
“They are pushing us into a corner.” – Tommy Mannion
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However, police said last week that the round of layoff notices caused any negotiations with the town to come to a halt.
“They are pushing us into a corner,” said Tommy Mannion, the president of the West New York Police Benevolent Association, the union representing the officers. “They are giving us 45 days to make a decision on the plan.”
He also said that the added pressure could make it more difficult for both sides to come to an agreement.
Since talks began, Mannion said town officials have not been clear on what they want.
“Everything was discussed, but nothing was finalized,” he said. “They were supposed to come back to us with what the town wants to do.”
He added that town officials did not get back to him, so he had little to discuss with his union.
West New York Business Administrator Joseph McConnell said the town has been trying to work with the police union.
“We have always left the door open, and we have 45 days at minimum to still talk, and we are still willing to talk,” he said.
Prior to notices being sent out, he said, police made it clear that the two sides would not come to an agreement.
“It came to a point where there was no movement, and we just decided to send [the notices] out,” said McConnell.
He said the town has been focused on changing its employees’ health insurance because the current plan is unnecessarily inflating the budget.
“We have a very expensive health package that we would save a tremendous amount of money if we changed to the state health benefits,” said McConnell. The differences between the two plans, he said, are minor, but the new plan would mean town employees would have to pay a bit more for prescription drugs.
Mannion said police have been willing to review the new plan and even hired an expert to review it with the members at a regular union meeting.
“The union needs to make an intelligent decision on the health coverage for our members,” said Mannion. “That is what we intended on doing.”
In addition to addressing health insurance, other items set in police contracts, such as raises, vacation, and sick time, must also be renegotiated, said Mannion.
Town officials also have another item they would like to discuss, a two-year pay freeze.
“If the unions did all these concessions, I think we would be able to lower taxes,” said McConnell. The town is also currently working with the Communications Workers of America, a union that represents other town employees being affected by the layoffs, including 26 from Public Works and 13 from the Parks Department.
“There is a bottom line number we have to get to.” – Joseph McConnell
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Adding the savings from the pay freeze and the savings from the change in health insurance, he said, could also mean saved jobs.
“We can certainly decrease the layoffs if money flows in from concessions,” he said. “There is a bottom line number we have to get to.”
At Wednesday’s Board of Commissioners meeting, which drew hundreds of police and supporters, town officials announced that they also recently applied for a federal grant, COPS funding, that may also help to save jobs. Officials said they may know the outcome of that application before the July 31 deadline.
Recovering from layoffs?
For those officers who may be laid off anyway, Mannion said job prospects in the immediate future look bleak.
“They will be put on a special list, so they could be picked up by other towns, but no one is picking anybody up right now,” he said.
Several residents said they are worried that the tough economic time may result in more local crime when there may be fewer officers patrolling the streets.
Addressing those concerns in a statement released by the town, Police Director Oscar Fernandez said that the remaining 90 officers may be moved around and reassigned in order to ensure the safety of the public at all times with a smaller force.
But, said Mannion, a smaller force could mean losing special units.
Amanda Staab can be reached at astaab@hudsonreporter.com.