COUNTY TO WASTE MORE TAXPAYER MONEY

When will it end. The County continues to violate the Taylor Law and they think they can get away with it. Now the County is attempting to appeal the decision of the PERB ALJ. The County Lost in NYS Supreme Court, the County lost at PERB and now they will waste more taxpayer money in useless legal appeals.

When will it end? when?

County violated Taylor Law, interfered with union

ROCHESTER - Monroe County violated the Taylor Law when it conducted a survey among part-time workers to undermine CSEA, according to the state Public Employment Relations Board.

Administrative Law Judge Jean Doerr upheld CSEA's contention that the county acted improperly when it mailed a survey to part-time employees asking them about their support for CSEA.

The ruling is a major victory for CSEA and sheds light on the county's continuing pattern of unfair labor practices.

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What is The County Thinking??

The county is threatening to sue Flo Tripi for libel in response to her letter to Maggie Brooks calling for Connard’s resignation. In addition, the county is considering an appeal of the Public Employment Board ALJ decision in the recent case the CSEA Represented Part-Time Employees brought against the county for anti-union animus.

The county should just admit they were wrong and stop wasting the taxpayer money on frivolous legal activity.

CSEA seeks meeting with Brooks

Taylor Law violations, Connard’s comments among topics to discuss


ROCHESTER – CSEA Western Region President Flo Tripi has penned a letter to Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks, asking the county executive to schedule a meeting with the union and calling for the resignation of Human Resources Director Brayton Connard.

The letter comes on the heels of a major Public Employment Relations Board victory for CSEA, and following anti-union comments made by Connard to the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle.

“It has been more than eight weeks since I first contacted County Executive Brooks’ office to request a meeting and to date we have not met.,” Tripi said. “Members of her administration have violated the Taylor Law and they continue to do so. A negative relationship between our union and the county benefits no one. CSEA wants to be a partner in good government. I hope Ms. Brooks will meet with me so that we may move forward and build a positive relationship.”

CSEA is New York State’s leading union, representing employees of New York State and its counties, towns, villages, school districts, library systems, authorities and public corporations. Together with a growing population of private sector members and retirees, CSEA forms a union 290,000 strong. It is also the largest affiliate (and Local 1000) of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) which, in turn, is one of the largest affiliates of the AFL-CIO.

LABOR: County, union fight continues

The judge found that, through the survey, the county "interfered with, restrained, and coerced employees in the exercise of protected rights," and she ordered the county to stop the survey, destroy its results, and "not obtain the results of the poll nor publish or disseminate the results in any manner."

City Newspaper

By Jeremy Moule on August 12, 2009 (City Newspaper)

LINK (click here)

The legal battles between the county and a public employees union aren't over.
Yesterday, a state administrative law judge ruled that the county violated provisions of the Taylor Law, which regulates relations between government and its union employees, by distributing a survey to part-time employees represented by CSEA. That decision resolves an improper practice charge that union leaders filed against the county in May.

But now the county faces a new improper practice charge, which grew out of hearings for the first charge. CSEA's August 7 complaint to the state Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) is based on comments made by county Human Resources Director Brayton Connard to a Democrat and Chronicle reporter. The complaint references this section of a July 29 story:

"County Human Resources Director Brayton Connard said the only way the county would know if union members want to leave the union is if it conducted a survey.

'They should be embarrassed that they've taken all these union dues and done nothing for their members,' Connard said, adding that members would get raises if the union went away."

The complaint characterizes Connard's remarks as a threat to the part-time employees. The comments, the complaint says, discourage participation in the union and encourage decertification of CSEA as the employees' union.

A county spokesman was not immediately available for comment Wednesday morning.
CSEA filed the first improper-practice charge against the county after it issued the survey and an accompanying letter in May. The survey asked workers a yes or no question: "Do you wish to be represented by the Civil Service Employees Association?" Union leaders saw the move as an attempt to encourage employees to decertify the union, which is engaged in contract negotiations with the county.

County officials said they were trying to ascertain whether the union had support among employees. The previous contract, which is still in place under a one-year extension, allows the county to initiate a secret ballot election through a state labor board if it has evidence that 30 percent of the unit's employees are questioning the union's status.

The judge found that, through the survey, the county "interfered with, restrained, and coerced employees in the exercise of protected rights," and she ordered the county to stop the survey, destroy its results, and "not obtain the results of the poll nor publish or disseminate the results in any manner."

In comments to the media yesterday, county officials noted that they can appeal that decision.

Judge found Monroe County improper in dealing with part-time union workers (D & C)

Monroe County was improper in its interaction with part-time employees who are union members, an administrative law judge found.

The state Public Employee Relations Board said it has never sanctioned or endorsed employer polls, such as the one the county mailed to the homes of part-time employees to see if they wanted to continue to be represented by CSEA.

"The county's poll was designed not to ascertain majority support, but to reveal the union sympathies of the part-time employees and, as such, was improper," wrote Administrative Law Judge Jean Doerr.

The board decision states that if a union is to be decertified, another union organization or an employee must bring the action, not a public employer.

"This is a very serious violation," said CSEA Western Region President Flo Tripi. "It is just one of a long line of union-busting tactics by the county." On Tuesday, about 18 people rallied in support of CSEA before the County Legislature meeting.

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Public Employee Relations Board (PERB), an administrative law judge found the County of Monroe guilty of violating the Taylor Law !!

"CSEA proved that the County's actions obstructed our members right to a fair process. The Improper Practice Chargecommands the County to desist and cease any action with regard to the union-busting efforts of County lawyers and officials. The PERB ruling orders the survey to be destroyed and that notices of the decision will be posted at all worksite locations."-

CSEA Local 828 Voice Reporter

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