A steady stream of Public Works employees has been making its presence known at City Hall in the past few weeks to oppose the outsourcing of street sweepers.

Whether their public display of support for keeping the longtime Public Works function in-house has any effect on the powers that be is yet to be seen.

The proposal to outsource most of the city’s street-sweeping operation passed in committee Oct. 25, but it was pulled back the following week by Finance and Personnel Committee Chairman John Beck, R-12.

Beck wanted to give aldermen more time to consider the union’s arguments against outsourcing as well as alternatives to the idea from members of the city’s American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 1058.

In the meantime, members and union representatives of Local 1058 are attending City Council meetings, many donning green “Save Our Sweepers” T-shirts.

Street sweeping was one of several city services that aldermen sought to outsource this year. The city has about seven employees who perform street sweeping. None of them would lose their jobs, said Public Works Director Tim Hanson. They would be transferred to other duties.

But union leaders fear layoffs would come in time.

Hanson told aldermen that the city’s out-of-pocket cost for street sweeping is about $750,000. Most of the cost is personnel and equipment maintenance.

The city’s plan is to pay Elgin Sweeping Service of Chicago almost $300,000 to provide street-sweeping services next year, transfer the city’s street-sweeping employees to the forestry division to help address the emerald ash borer crisis and still save about $50,000. The city plans to keep two street-sweeping machines and sell six at auction.

But Local 1058 President Gary Cacciapaglia said the union plans to fight to keep street sweeping.

Cacciapaglia said he has questions about quality. He also thinks city employees should be rewarded for doing a good job and being city residents. The union is about 60 members smaller than it was four years ago because of downsizing, he said, another long-term concern for the union.

“Once we give up this service, it’s not coming back,” Cacciapaglia said. “This is a service city employees have done since the inception of our city. … As part of our contract, we can request more information and present a counteroffer. That’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to fight very hard to keep this.”

Ald. Linda McNeely, D-13, wore a green AFSCME button on the council floor Monday night and spoke in support of the union.

“It’s time for us to stand up,” McNeely said. “We have seen throughout the country the number of cities and states where unions have been attacked by governors and mayors wanting them to step back. … I’m very proud to see our unions here stand up. These are people we live with. These are the people we should be representing.”

Source:http://www.rrstar.com/news/x45853584/Union-prepares-counteroffer-to-outsourcing-Rockford-street-sweeping

A budget panel’s proposal to outsource food service, transportation and maintenance work wouldn’t save the Rockford School District much money next year.

That’s because the food service workers’ union contract doesn’t expire until 2012, the transportation union contract doesn’t expire until 2013, and the Illinois School Code was recently amended to say that any benefits package for outsourced workers must be “comparable to the benefits package” provided to the district employees who perform those services.

The only immediate savings might be found with the building maintenance union, which is working under an expired contract and in negotiations on a new deal now.

While the district hasn’t calculated how much savings it would reap if union work is outsourced, what is clear is that any savings won’t be immediate.

But savings could come in future contracts with private employees, said General Counsel Lori Hoadley. Those labor agreements could look much different from the wages, pension and health care contributions now paid to union workers.

Still, the new law could be a deal-breaker for any outsourced labor, said Richard Fairgrieves, superintendent of the Boone Winnebago Regional Office of Education. The district could end up in court defending itself against an unfair labor practice claim if its former union employees claim wages to nonunion workers aren’t “comparable,” as the law requires.

“The unions will have to look at those figures, and it could possibly end in court,” he said.

That doesn’t bode well for District 205, which is looking to slash a projected $50 million budget shortfall in the 2011-12 school year.

Jay Ferraro, the local representative of the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, which represents two of the three unions, said no big savings could come from cutting or outsourcing those employees.

“It’s not like we’re talking about a teacher’s pay. We’re talking about some jobs so they can make a little money, have some benefits,” Ferraro said.

Food service workers and transportation union members make between $9,000 and $12,000 each year, which is a fraction of some teachers’ salaries.

In the district’s current budget structure, transportation workers receive about $10 million; building maintenance workers receive about $6 million; and food service workers receive about $3.2 million, according to the budget committee — nowhere near the roughly $214 million paid in salaries and benefits to the district’s teachers.

But it’s not like it hasn’t been done before. The district outsourced custodial services in 2005, and officials estimated the switch saves about $3.5 million a year. That deal was executed, however, before the change in the Illinois School Code.

Rockford Education Association President Molly Phalen said she’s still not sure the district can cut its budget by $50 million in one cycle.

“It’s just going way beyond what makes sense,” she said.

Phalen wouldn’t offer other ideas for cost savings, but Ferraro doesn’t want the district to dismiss the idea of spending its reserve cash in fiscal 2012. The district has that rainy day fund for a reason, he said.

“It’s been raining,” he said. “If this isn’t considered a major storm and a reason to use that balance to keep people employed, then what (is)?”

District officials disagree. They’re already planning to spend about $26 million in reserves to balance this year’s budget and avoid deep cuts. That means the district’s reserves will drop to about $85.5 million — less than the ideal $100 million the district should have on hand, School Board President David Kelley said.

District officials should plan to keep three months’ worth of funding in its reserve fund at any given time, he said.

Source:-http://www.rrstar.com/videos?ndn=y&vid=23315476&lid=us&sec=carousel