CONNEAUT — Conneaut’s safety-department unions had swift reaction to comments and claims voiced by some City Council members at Monday’s regular meeting.
Presidents of the city’s police and firefighter locals said the remarks didn’t reflect the unions’ willingness to work with city leaders on the city’s budget plight.
Some council members suggested Monday reducing the number of police officers and firefighters by attrition: not replacing them when they retire or resign. In addition, Ward 1 Councilman Dave Campbell recommended a 32- or 35-hour workweek for employees and called for a crackdown in sick-time use in union contracts to be negotiated later this year.
A 32-hour workweek would be a blatant contract violation, said Sgt. Steve Gerics, president of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 51.
“A regular workweek is 40 hours,” he said. “It’s stated in the contract.”
Gerics also was upset with implications that union contracts are heavily tilted in favor of employees. No agreements take effect without council’s blessing, he said.
“We didn’t strong-arm anybody to give us anything,” Gerics said. “Contracts are negotiated.”
Past councils have asked workers to accept additional benefits in lieu of pay hikes, he said.
“Councils gave us that,” Gerics said. “We didn’t seek them out; they offered. When times have been hard, we’ve gone above and beyond.”
Because of the contract structure, the department has a hard time hanging onto officers, losing them to higher-paying agencies.
“We are paid $3 to $6 an hour less (than comparable departments in the county),” he said. “We have lost 21 officers since 2000. People aren’t knocking down the door to work here.”
Steve Sanford, president of Local 651 of the International Association of Fire Fighters, was equally upset by Monday’s meeting. A reduced workweek isn’t realistic in departments staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, he said.
Sanford suspected the sick-time comment was aimed at the fire department, where two full-time employees recently returned to work after a lengthy medical leave. Members are making remarks without doing research at Fire Station 1, home of the city’s full-time firefighters, he said.
“It’s totally irresponsible,” Sanford said.
He also chastised members who haven’t rallied behind City Manager Robert Schaumleffel Jr.’s plan to consolidate the fire department’s firefighting and emergency medical divisions. The plan would improve service and provide a financial boost to the city budget, the manager has said.
“He had a plan in place, and some on council aren’t listening,” Sanford said. “If some on council would let the administration do its job, (the budget) wouldn’t be as big a mess as it is.”
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Conneaut safety-department unions react to City Council’s comments
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