Union Reps to File Grievance Against Mayor After "Disrespectful Comments"

CSEA Union members are fed up with what they call unfair and unethical treatment from Harrison Mayor/Supervisor Joan Walsh, publicly bashing the mayor Wednesday and threatening to file a complaint with the Public Employees Relations Board.

The anger stems from an incident in October, when Walsh allegedly threatened to fire CSEA member Michelle Allegretti, who works at town hall, if negotiations to renegotiate the town health care policy fell through. Walsh said she has since apologized for the conversation, which she admits was a mistake.

During Wednesday's town board meeting, Rocco Turso, Allegretti's cousin, asked about 15 people in the audience to stand in support of Allegretti before ripping the mayor in a prepared statement.

"You are not only a hypocrite, you are an insensitive, tactless, uncaring, thoughtless, inconsiderate, unsympathetic, excuse for a leader," he said to a round of applause. "You should be ashamed of yourself."

The statement was followed by several minutes of chaos in which speakers had to be reminded several times to address to board rather than the audience.

"My recollection of what was said is not the same as Miss Allegretti's recollection," Walsh said, after pounding her gavel to retain order. "It's unfortunate that it happened—I apologize—obviously it's taken on a life of its own."

Walsh claims that during the conversation, which she says was no more than 10 sentences in length, she told Allegretti and another person in the room that there could be layoffs if the town was unable to negotiate a new contract.

"I said there could be layoffs—and it could be you, and it could be you, or it could be somebody else, and I apologized," said Walsh. 

Local CSEA President John Staino sees it the incident differently, saying that Walsh threatened to fire Allegretti in what was an unethical and disrespectful showing of frustration from the mayor. He was also upset that Walsh originally told the union that the comments were a joke, before changing her position.

"There is no place for threats in the workplace, playing off these threats as a joke is in poor taste," said Staino. "It just makes us wonder what kind of hands the town of Harrison is in if she finds this funny."

Staino says he plans to file an improper practice grievence to the Public Employees Relations Board, which could land the mayor in front of lawyers to discuss the incident.

"We were trying to not do that because it's expensive and doesn't really accomplish anything," said Staino. "I don't want to get petty, but she seams to get aggravated and upset and she says things."

Making matters worse, Walsh had attended the wake of Allegretti's father just weeks prior to the incident. Walsh said Wednesday that she had forgotten about the death before the conversation took place.

Staino went on to say that this is far from a one-time incident, accusing the mayor of having a "continued, blatant disrespect toward the members of the CSEA," He added that the mayor has overstepped her boundaries by extending negotiations outside of designated union representatives to individual employees and the media.

"You have single-handedly led a coordinated effort to create an environment in which the residents of this town have put the blame on our employees for most of what ails this community," said Turso. "An environment where employees are forced to endure the brunt of hostility from our residents."

Union membership cited incidents dating as far back as last fall, when they say Walsh used scare tactics that pitted residents against against town employees during budget season. Walsh admitted that proposed 20 percent pay-cuts to town employees couldn't be done, but said she isn't in charge of the negotiations between the town and employees anyway.

Walsh called the blowback from the incident political in nature, but admitted she shouldn't have referred to the incident as a joke. She said she was originally taken back when facing three union representatives over something she thought was a minor incident. 

The CSEA locally represents clerical workers in the Harrison town hall, library and police station. Negotiations with the CSEA and other local unions will continue as the town looks to shed dollars from a that includes a 6.7 percent tax hike. Walsh has emphasized that cutting medical expenses is one of the only remaining ways to reduce that tax increase.

"Really and truly, if there is no movement on the health plan we have to make up that money somehow," she said. "That money isn't coming in, so I feel very strongly about putting an additional tax burden on people in town."

Officially, there had been no improper practice suit filed with the town against Walsh as of Wednesday evening. After the public confrontation Walsh said that the CSEA may have gone public with their allegations after official filings didn't gain traction.

"They decided to go in front of the town board—much more political," she said. "They would have to go in front of lawyers—this is theatre."