Budget plan gets mixed review from the Conneaut unions

By MARK TODD - Staff Writer - mtodd@starbeacon.com
Star Beacon

January 07, 2009 12:34 am

— CONNEAUT — Conneaut’s municipal employee unions are giving mixed reviews to concessions sought by administrators in order to make the 2009 budget work.
The city’s police officers have accepted the one-year wage freeze sought by City Manager Robert Schaumleffel Jr. However, workers in the service departments reportedly rejected the idea Monday night. Full-time firefighters are also on board with the wage freeze but want to give more thought to other aspects of the concession plan.
A wage freeze and alternate health plan are important components to the balanced budget Schaumleffel devised, and City Council approved, last week. Schaumleffel has urged workers to cooperate with the administration to help put the city on a more solid financial footing.
Conneaut’s police officers have accepted a wage freeze until the end of the year on the condition no further layoffs occur in the police department, said Sgt. Steve Gerics, president of Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 51. The agreement hasn’t been formalized, but signatures are expected soon, he said.
FOP members agreed to the freeze to preserve police jobs, Gerics said. “We did it for our officers,” he said.
The department’s budget already has been sliced 15 percent this year, and two vacancies — assistant police chief and patrol officer — will not be filled, Gerics said.
Steve Sanford, president of Local 651 of the International Association of Fire Fighters, said members have accepted a wage freeze for 2009.
“It will help the city,” Sanford said.
The firefighters’ local also was willing to accept the elimination of one full-time position but withdrew that option when a proposed revamping of the fire department was rejected by council.
According to reports, members of Local 2182 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which represents the city’s service department workers and some clerical staff, rejected the wage freeze after a meeting Monday night. Michael Dalrymple, local president, could not be immediately reached for comment Tuesday.