Plan may change grievance process

County unions would report problems to chairman of Board of Supervisors

By Steven Cook
Gazette Reporter

March 15, 2002
FONDA - Grievances from county unions could soon go through the chairman of the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors instead of the county administrator, under a plan being considered by the board.

The grievances, which have traditionally gone through the administrator as the second step, would go to the chairman or his designee, under the plan.

The plan has yet to be formally presented to county unions, union officials said. Any changes would need the union's approval.

County supervisors advocating the move say it will help with employee relations, giving the elected board a role in the grievance process.

But at least one union official was wary, noting that the supervisors' chairman can change each year with the board's election, while the administrator is less likely to turn over.

"On the face of it, I'd have to say I'm against it," said Dave Smith, president of the Montgomery County Sheriff's Police Benevolent Association, which represents deputies.

"Similar grievances can come up every couple years and with this, a different person may be handling them," Smith said. "I think there could be an awful lack of consistency there."

Under current contracts, any grievances are acted on first by the department head. Then, if unsatisfied, union members can appeal to the administrator and then to an arbitrator. The county administrator's post is currently held by Scott Schrader.

Under the proposal, the second step would be to the chairman or his designee.

Other references to the administrator, including the calling of meetings, would also be replaced with the chairman or his designee, Supervisor Tom DiMezza, D-town of Amsterdam said.

Supervisors supporting the plan, including DiMezza and William Hisert, R-Palatine, stressed that the chairman's designee could be the administrator. DiMezza said he envisions the chairman, currently Ron Barone, R-Amsterdam Ward 3, funneling the grievances to the personnel committee, which DiMezza chairs.

"It still may fall on the administrator or an administrative assistant, whatever we may have in the future," DiMezza said. "We want to make sure things are going right and that grievances are taken care of properly."

Hisert concurred.

"We talked it over and felt the board should be a little more involved in what's going on," Hisert said.

The labor management committee, made up of Supervisor Dominick Stagliano, D-St. Johnsville, Barone, Hisert, DiMezza and Personnel Director Richard Baia, would also have a hand in the process, DiMezza said.

The proposal would affect contracts with the deputies, corrections officers and Local 829 of the Civil Service Employees Association, which represents 350 county employees.

Local CSEA Vice President Ed Russo said he had yet to see the final proposal and said he wanted to reserve final judgement until then.

"I'm concerned about it," Russo said. "But I can kind of see the handwriting on the wall. It sounds like the supervisors don't want Schrader in the picture. I guess they're taking over the whole show."

Schrader, who said he was unaware of the proposal until Tuesday night's meeting, said he sees the move as unwise. Many grievances deal with procedural issues of which the board has no knowledge, he said.

Schrader said he sees the proposal as another in a long move toward taking duties away from the administrator.

"It's apparent that a movement's afoot to completely replace the administrator in labor relations," Schrader said.

Barone, Stagliano, Hisert and DiMezza have repeatedly denied that characterization.

Posted July 13, 2002