BY NICKI MAYO
A deal for Buffalo parks may be available as early as Thursday. The City takes over more than 180 parks January 1st. There are many details that need to get pinned down in the upcoming weeks. Nicki Mayo reports on the union, Conservancy and City negotiations.
“Different players. The same game. The same B.S. that I heard today is the same B.S. that I heard back in 2004,” said Buffalo’s Samuel A. Herbet outside the Buffalo Common Council Chambers.
“People see water in the park and they say ‘it’s ok, it’s working.’ Well it’s not working right,” Herbert added.
He says he’s tried to get Erie County to fix the fountain at MLK Park over the last five years. Herbert spoke out on behalf of the Coalition to Save Martin Luther King Jr. Park at Tuesday’s Common Council finance meeting. The two hour committee meeting focused on the future of city parks’ management.
The parks contract ends December 31st. Buffalo city will run its 180 parks starting January first. Concerns over job security for union and Olmsted Parks Conservancy workers remain.
“I fielded numerous phone calls from workers who don’t know where they are because they’ve received layoff notices from the county. They have received notices that their health insurance has been canceled. So their Christmas present is they are unemployed!” said ASCME Local 264 President Bill Travis.
Union reps for Local 264 and 650 say park workers have received layoff notices and insurance cancellations effective December 31st.
“We didn’t choose to leave the city service or county service. These are all decisions made by the County Executive and the Mayor of Buffalo,” said Lovejoy Recreation Center Instructor John Fracos.
Seventy supporters packed Tuesday morning’s Buffalo Common Council Finance Committee meeting to urge council members to support negotiations between 264, the Olmsted Parks Conservancy and the city.
“It frees us at this point in time to finalize any type of arraignment with the Olmsted Conservancy,” said Buffalo Corporation Council attorney Brendan Mehaffy.
“People see water in the park and they say ‘it’s ok, it’s working.’ Well it’s not working right,” Herbert added.
He says he’s tried to get Erie County to fix the fountain at MLK Park over the last five years. Herbert spoke out on behalf of the Coalition to Save Martin Luther King Jr. Park at Tuesday’s Common Council finance meeting. The two hour committee meeting focused on the future of city parks’ management.
The parks contract ends December 31st. Buffalo city will run its 180 parks starting January first. Concerns over job security for union and Olmsted Parks Conservancy workers remain.
“I fielded numerous phone calls from workers who don’t know where they are because they’ve received layoff notices from the county. They have received notices that their health insurance has been canceled. So their Christmas present is they are unemployed!” said ASCME Local 264 President Bill Travis.
Union reps for Local 264 and 650 say park workers have received layoff notices and insurance cancellations effective December 31st.
“We didn’t choose to leave the city service or county service. These are all decisions made by the County Executive and the Mayor of Buffalo,” said Lovejoy Recreation Center Instructor John Fracos.
Seventy supporters packed Tuesday morning’s Buffalo Common Council Finance Committee meeting to urge council members to support negotiations between 264, the Olmsted Parks Conservancy and the city.
“It frees us at this point in time to finalize any type of arraignment with the Olmsted Conservancy,” said Buffalo Corporation Council attorney Brendan Mehaffy.
Since this is a labor agreement, the Corporation Council is using a “Memorandum of Understanding” to communicate the changes to the Common Council. This will help make council aware of the negotiations. An M.O.U. means the measure doesn’t need council approval to move forward. Some council members say they will remain active with the process.
“I’ll represent the Common Council, the legislative branch of government in negotiations between the Olmsted Parks, the Unions and the City,” said Common Council Parks Committee Chairman Demone Smith.
The Corporation Council hopes to get a M.O.U. to the Common Council by Thursday.
