Camden County Council #10

Camden's State Appointed Chief Operating Officer Theodore Davis has informed Council #10 that planned layoffs will soon impact 40-60 union members working for the City. Police and firefighters will not be affected by the planned layoff. To add insult to this misery, it appears the City will attempt to avoid the use of civil service procedures in implementing the staff reductions. Council #10 will fight both the layoffs and the plan for implementation. In an August 27 Courier-Post news story, President Karl Walko said the cuts would be a blow to an already understaffed government. The State, he said, struck a deal to take over the city in exchange for providing the resources it needed to turn the place around, and this goes against that. Walko has informed Davis that the Union will fight him directly on the layoffs and his intent to circumvent civil service rules. (8/28/08)

Nominations Taken at September 23 General Membership Meeting for Union Officer and Trustee Positions

Nominations will be accepted at the September 23 General Membership Meeting at the Quality Inn, Route 130, Gloucester City, 7 PM for the positions of Council #10 President, Vice President, Financial Secretary-Treasurer, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, Sergeant-at-Arms, all for 3-year terms, as well as Trustee positions for the following bargaining units:

At a ratification vote on August 14, the Council #10 Regular, Crafts and Supervisory Bargaining Units at the Camden County Health Services Center ratified new contracts. The contracts provide increases totaling 20% over a five-year (2007-20011) period. To address the financial issues of the HSC, the increases are in part delayed. The contract also required health premium contributions from every employee for the first time. However, the contributions are tied to salary and not the more quickly increasing cost of health premiums. President Karl Walko noted that a settlement was not possible in the foreseeable future without health contributions from each employee but that the agreement limits the contribution to 0.75% of salary for employees selecting the lowest cost plan or 1.25% for employees selecting any of the other plans. An employee earning $35,000 per year and selecting the lowest cost plan will pay $262.50/year or approximately $10 per pay period.

The deadline for the early registration discount is August 22. The fee for golfers (including greens fees, cart, lunch, gift, and dinner) is $95.00 until August 22 and $115.00 after that date. Contact the Council #10 office (856) 541-4191 to register or for more information.

The annual Henry J. Dunn, III Scholarship Golf Tournament (named after past Council #10 President Henry J. Dunn who died while in office in 2001) will be held on Monday, September 8 (one week after Labor Day) at a new location -- Valleybrook Country Club in Blackwood. A dinner and Chinese Auction will be held

following the tournament at the golf course clubhouse. Join us for the day (brochure), be a sponsor (sponsor form) or donate a prize

to the Chinese Auction (form). Individuals that want to join us just for the dinner are welcomed (form). (8/15/08)

Winslow Township employees represented by Council #10 approved a tentative agreement in a ratification vote on July 8. The vote was 63-19. The new contract runs from 2007-2011 and provides for wage increases of 3.75%, 3.75%, 3.5%, 3.75% and 3.85%. In addition, the lowest two steps in a six step wage scale were eliminated. Employees on the lowest steps will see their salary increased by both the across the board increase recieved by all employees and an additional large increase based on their placement on the new scale. (7/20/08)

As part of a legislative burst of activity surrounding the passing of the State Fiscal Year 2008 budget, the legislature approved and Governor Corzine signed a bill that eliminated the New Jersey Department of Personnel. While the department was eliminated, its current functions will continue. The human resources functions of the department (Employee Services, Equal Employment Opportunities, Human Resource Development) provided assistance to State departments, many of which had their own HR offices. Some of these functions will be directed to the department HR offices and the remainder will be absorbed by the Treasury Department.

Of most interest to Council #10 members are the functions of the Local Government Activities office and the Selection Services Division. Between the two, they handle job announcements, test scoring, desk audits and layoffs for local government. These functions will move with the Merit System Board (which oversees civil service law and its enforcement) to become the new Civil Service Commission located within but not part of the Labor & Workforce Department. Ironically, the Department of Personnel was created from a prior Civil Service Commission. The changes are not expected to disrupt services. (8/7/08)

After forty-seven years of service with the City of Camden, former City of Camden Supervisory Unit President Anthony (Tony) Iezzi retired on July 1. Starting as a Laborer in 1961, Tony advanced to the position of Supervising Engineering Aide. Tony served Council #10 as President of the Supervisory Unit until last fall. He looks forward to spending time with his nine grandchildren. At a June 13 retirement dinner, Council #10 President Karl Walko thanked him for his service to Council #10 and wished him a long and healthy retirement.

Clerical employees in the Camden County Prosecutor's Office have been unable to reach an agreement on a new contract despite being in negotiations since their contract expired on December 31, 2005. Even though they have not recieved an across the board increase in over three years, the Unit has refused to buckle under to Camden County's demands and the County's refusal to offer a contract in line with those reached with other bargaining units in the same office. On March 6, April 3 and April 30, the Negotiating Committee met with a State mediator to try to work out the differences. No agreement was reached. As a result of the failure of mediation, Council #10 has requested the assistance of a New Jersey Public Employment Commission Factfinder. The factfinder has not yet been selected. The Council #10 Political Action Committee supported the negotiations by placing an ad in the Philadelphia Inquirer on Sunday, May 18 and Thursday, May 22 in the South Jersey section. (5/17/08)

A bill providing workers in New Jersey six weeks of paid family leave per year became law on May 2 when signed by Governor Corzine. In signing the legislation, the Goveror stated, "This family leave insurance bill is personally significant to me. When I was in the hospital after my accident last spring, it was the strong support from my family that kept me going. I was fortunate my family members had the flexibility to be there for me, day-in and day-out. But not everyone has that luxury.

I believe the daily reality of the lives of New Jersey families makes this historic law a necessity. I am confident this self-funded family insurance program will improve family life, fill a gap in our social contract with our citizens, and attract workers to this state. More than ever, I am proud to sign this bill into law on behalf of all working New Jerseyans.”

Payroll deductions will begin on January 1, 2009. Most workers will pay about 64 cents a week. Paid family leave will first be available starting July 1 next year. The maximum benefit in 2009 will be $524 per week tax free. New Jersey becomes only the third state to offer paid family leave.

(Star-Ledger Article) (5/17/08)

Council #10 represented Supervisory and Non-supervisory employees at the City of Camden Parking Authority voted overwhelmingly on April 16 in favor of new contracts that will provide them with increases of $1,400 in 2007, 3.75% in 2008, 3.75% in 2009, 3.75% in 2010. Employees may pay slightly higher co-pays for doctor visits and prescriptions but will not co-pay health insurance premiums. Many of the employees currently make less than $22,000. For the lowest paid employees, the increase of $1,400 in the first year represents an increase of more than 6.7%. (4/16/08)

The Henry J. Dunn Scholarship Fund awarded

twenty-nine $500 scholarships to children of Council #10 members at the union's March 25 General Membership Meeting (photos and complete list of recipients). Of special note were the scholarships awarded to Matthew Quinn as the "Freeholder's Scholarship Award" winner and John Milby as the "John West Scholarship Award" winner. The Freeholder's award is the result of a large donation by the Board of Freeholders to the scholarship fund following the death of former Council #10 President Henry Dunn. It is given to an outstanding applicant with a parent working for Camden County. The John West award was started in memory of former Council #10 shop steward John West who perished in a house fire in Gloucester City on July 4, 2002. It is awarded to an applicant that is also a volunteer firefighter or that has a parent that is a volunteer firefighter. The Scholarship Fund has awarded over $110,000 in scholarships to the children of Council #10 members since its start in 1997. (4/22/08)