Getting restless in Lawrence village

Union employees protest, Ryder resigns aa building superintendent

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During the Sept. 10 Village of Lawrence board meeting, 21 out of the 25 civil service employees who are represented by Ronkonkoma-based United Public Service Employees Union, sat silently in protest of not having a new contract for five years and the ongoing impasse in negotiations.
The workers voted last year to replace the Civil Service Employees Association as its union. Despite the change in representation not much has changed at the negotiating table as talks remain stalled. Both parties are supposed to be meeting with a Public Employment Relations Board mediator, but no date has been set.
“It sends a message that the workers are still here and are not going away,” said Brandon Nasierowski, a UPSE labor relations representative. “We’ve had one mediation session and another was scheduled, but there is not date yet.”
Nasierowski said the employees are seeking raises between 1.5 and 2 percent, but the village has not budged. He said retroactive pay could be negotiated as well.
Mayor Martin Oliner said he appreciated the workers attending the meeting, but doesn’t think their presence will have an impact on contract talks. “It is with the PERB lawyers,” Oliner said. “We have made offers, but haven’t had anything positive. We would like to resolve this. We offered a very good raise.”


Ryder resigns
Effective Aug. 28, Michael Ryder resigned as superintendent of the village’s Building Department. The trustees have made an offer to former village assistant building superintendent Gerry Castro, who is the village administrator for Hewlett Harbor. “We haven’t finalized anything yet, said Oliner, who called Castro “extraordinary.”
Ryder oversaw an seven-person department that is responsible for enforcing all village zoning, building constriction and fire prevention laws, and the state’s building and fire safety code, which Lawrence adopted. The department also administers to the licensing of plumber and electricians who perform work in the village, and approves building permits. It also provides property owners with flood insurance information and documentation.