To the Editor:

The Executive Board of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 1043 Public Works would like to address the current lay off situation our union is facing in the city of Lakewood.  There are two sides to every story; we would like to present ours.  A total of six employees, of a total work force of 120 covering six divisions, are currently out of work. These six are on top of those employees that have retired within the last year. We believe these lay-offs could have been avoided. A recent proposal from Mayor Edward FitzGerald included a request to change our current health care package for five months – from August 1 through December 31 of this year - pending future negotiations.  The change requested was to go to a 90/10 plan in which our members would incur further economic burdens beyond already in-place monthly contributions.  These extra costs could potentially reach 10% or more of their yearly salary.

The trade-off to this request was that the Mayor would be willing to fill already existing positions using enterprise funds in the city.  The six Refuse Department employees that were given their lay-off notice would have been placed into these pre-existing open slots within the divisions of Sewer Collection, Water Distribution, and Waste Water Treatment Plant, all financed with enterprise funds. The purpose behind this offer was that members would no longer be paid salary and benefits through the ailing general fund.  Then, by our current negotiated contract, the positions would be assigned in an expedited manner to ensure the rapid placement of thes employees away from the general fund.  The positions would then be posted union wide and filled based on knowledge, skill, ability and seniority; the six temporarily re-assigned workers would be retained in the positions of whoever won the jobs on a permanent basis.
Also within the proposal was a stipulation that if revenues became less than projected or if the economy were to worsen, layoffs were still a possibility.  If a lay-off occurred under these terms, the city agreed to pay back any concessions made by our union.  This is far from the no lay-off ‘guarantee’ the Mayor reported in other media outlets, including print and internet blog sites.

Our membership met and, by a large majority, the proposal was voted down.  The reasons behind this are simple:  at no time were lay-offs guaranteed not to happen, and the costs involved with the new health care plan were far too much to take on during a contract that has a superior health care plan in place.

What remains is the reality that all six of the ASFSCME Public Works employees could be working today.  The Mayor could have filled those six positions within the enterprise funds, thus saving the same amount of money from the general fund.  To ‘blame’ the union for costing itself jobs by rejecting the Mayor’s proposal is simply wrong. Those employees could have continued working had those existing jobs been posted and filled prior to the proposal. The six positions within the enterprise funds remain unfilled, and the work continues to pile up on every division.


The Executive Board was given a total amount that needed to be saved in order to avoid lay-off.  By switching to the proposed new health care plan, that total saved was not half the total reported.  And there never could have been a guarantee of all of our union brothers and sisters remaining at work. 

There have also been reports recently that Mayor FitzGerald has the backing for further office in more coveted political positions from the labor unions of this city.  AFSCME Local 1043 has not endorsed any candidate, nor has plans to endorse anyone in particular.  But those who are looking for support may want to consider the unions position on issues, and also consider offers to guarantee jobs.


            The Executive Board of AFSCME Local 1043 Public Works
                        Gerry Branco, President
                        Ray Fisher, Chief Steward
                        Patrick Slife, Rec. Secretary
                        Ann Tanner, Ohio Council 8 Rep.