Union, mayor, councilors at odds over City Hall cleaning

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May 6, 2009

Union, mayor, councilors at odds over cleaning

By JOE LoTEMPLIO The Press Republican Fri May 14, 2010, 07:46 PM EDT

PLATTSBURGH — City councilors will consider hiring a part-time worker to clean City Hall, but the mayor is strongly against the idea.

City Hall is being cleaned by workers from the Public Works Department after the union won a grievance earlier this year over the use of a cleaning contractor.

Mayor Donald Kasprzak hired the contractor, Champlain Valley Industries, after the previous part-time employee left the job.

The union argued that using a contractor was taking away a position to which the union was entitled.

The union won the grievance, but rather than hire a part-time employee to clean the building, Kasprzak ordered Public Works Superintendent Mike Brodi to assign workers to the job.

BUDGETED FUNDS
Councilor George Rabideau (R-Ward 3) recently suggested hiring a part-timer, without benefits, to do the work again.

"Public Works is already stretched pretty thin, and if we can avoid using them to clean City Hall that would help," he said.

"If there is enough money in the budget this year, we should go back to having a part-time person there."

The city budgeted $13,000 for Champlain Valley Industries, which ceased work at the end of April. About $8,590 is left in the budget for cleaning this year.

City Chamberlain Richard Marks said it would cost about $9,500 to pay for a part-time worker for the rest of this year.

"That's not including cleaning supplies."

Rabideau said the cleaning contractor did a good job, but because the city lost the grievance, that is no longer an option.

JOB ON AGENDA
Denise Nephew, president of the American Federation of County, State and Municipal Employees, said she would like to see the part-time position added.

"I'm a little surprised it will be on the agenda, but pleased," she said.

The mayor is not pleased.

"I believe that it is not in the best interest of taxpayers to have an individual clean City Hall when we had a very affordable alternative," Kasprzak said.

"They (the contractor) did a good job, they worked in the evening, not disturbing business, and they provided their own cleaning supplies. This simply does not add up."

JOB PROGRAM
The mayor also said it was wrong of Nephew to hold a federal summer-job program hostage because of the situation.

The program pays for the city to hire temporary summer help in the Recreation and Public Works departments.

Nephew signed off on the program for the Recreation Department last week but did not OK the deal for Public Works.

"If there are empty positions in Public Works, I don't want to sign it, and I've done that in the past when there have been empty positions," she said.

"But I don't want to hurt the department heads, so we will wait and see."

Nephew added that her position on the summer program has nothing to do with the City Hall cleaning position.

The mayor said the city will go forward with the summer program regardless of whether Nephew signs off.

"This is another indication that this union leadership refuses to cooperate, while sacrificing jobs for young people in this very difficult economy."

The council is expected to vote on the part-time cleaning position at tonight's meeting.

E-mail Joe LoTemplio at: jlotemplio@pressrepublican.com