Luzerne County Government

April 1, 2010

County workers rap cuts

Commissioner Chairman Petrilla rebuts claims that union busting is taking place.

By Jennifer Learn-Andes jandes@timesleader.com
Luzerne County Reporter
Jennifer Learn-Andes on Facebook   |   @TLJenLearnAndes on Twitter

About 50 Luzerne County union employees picketed in front of the county courthouse during their noon lunch break Wednesday, primarily to oppose the potential loss of 33 jobs in the county’s Workforce Investment Development Agency, said union leader Paula Schnelly.

Schnelly, of the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 1398, said the picketing also challenged the recent furlough of other union employees and the expected privatization of the county’s tax claim office.

“Essentially, I call it union busting at this point of the game,” Schnelly said.

Several union leaders and employees who used vacation or personal days also picketed in the afternoon.

The pickets occasionally chanted “Save our jobs” and supplemented the honks of passing motorists with air horns. Their signs included one that read “Corruption alive and well” with pictures of county commissioners Maryanne Petrilla and Stephen A. Urban.

The Workforce Investment jobs are in jeopardy because county officials, at the suggestion of the state, decided to publicly bid the unemployment assistance services provided by the county workers. The impacted county workers are preparing a proposal.

Privatization of the county’s tax claim office is expected to take effect when commissioners vote on a privatization ordinance and the hiring of an outside company on April 14. Commissioners believe the privatization will save money and increase collections, and they say employees in the office may be offered jobs with the new company.

Several AFSCME workers were also furloughed in January – three at Moon Lake Park, one in solid waste and three in environmental special projects, Schnelly said.

“They’ve been shutting county departments down one by one,” Schnelly said. “At this point, it seems they’re out to destroy the unions.”

Petrilla said the employees are “welcome to voice their concerns,” though she believes the union-busting allegation is “not fair” and “not factual.”

She expects Workforce Investment workers to win the bid because they have handled the work for many years.

“I’m very confident that everything will remain status quo,” Petrilla said, noting the administration has been working with Worforce Investment managers on the preparation of a bid submission.

“I think we just have to quit making accusations that aren’t factual and let this run its course,” Petrilla said.

Commissioner Thomas Cooney said budget cuts had to be made.

“There’s no attempt at union busting here,” he said.

Urban said commissioners had to resort to layoffs because unions would not agree to a countywide 12-day furlough of all workers.

“This is the problem with some of these unions. It’s the pay raises they continue to ask for and the benefits they keep demanding that force the county to resort to other measures,” Urban said.

“It’s not going to get any better because the people of the county have had enough. They don’t want higher taxes and want measures that will promote efficiency.”

Tweet	Follow @TLnews

Send Question or Remark to the Publisher