Labor unions not happy as board approves GPS Employees irked by vehicle tarcking plan
By Lee Lutz	write the author
August 21, 2008 | 11:34 AM A show of force by Brookhaven's labor unions couldn't stop the Town Board from approving Tuesday night new tracking technology for the town's 700 vehicles. Resistance to the proposal to place global positioning satellite-based trackers in town-owned cars and trucks was so strong, in fact, that prior to the meeting, one Long Island employment union leader — while acknowledging the likelihood that the GPS plan would be approved — promised retaliation against Supervisor Brian Foley's administration. All told, about 100 union members made their way into the meeting room to cheer union leaders who decried the plan and boo supporters. But ultimately, board members ignored the union outcry and voted 5-2 to go with the GPS plan, with only Councilman Tim Mazzei (R-Blue Point), leader of the board's conservative majority, and Councilwoman Kathy Walsh (R-Centereach), wife of Brookhaven Civic Service Employees Association blue-collar chief Bill Walsh, in opposition. "They're certainly not building morale for the workforce," said Nick LaMorte, of Miller Place, Long Island region president of the CSEA. "We'll invite [District Attorney Tom] Spota to make sure labor rights are being observed." Promising an "interesting future," LaMorte also said he would request inspection of town vehicles by the state Department of Transportation to ensure compliance with applicable regulations. Bill Walsh said Brookhaven's unions submitted a list of similar items the town "should easily agree to, since they said they wouldn't use [GPS] against our workers." Foley's chief of staff, Lori Baldassare, who chaired a GPS study committee that included union representation, confirmed receipt of a list of 26 items. Bill Walsh and Baldassare acknowledged Tuesday that no discussions of the list have occurred. According to Baldassare, the list has but one goal: "Put GPS in," she said, "but don't use it." Among the unions' concerns and demands, according to the list: the town must "advise [the unions] what information the Town intends to use or gather via the GPS." The unions also want members to have access to the GPS devices for inspection purposes, and demand that "no change of work schedules shall be imposed upon affected workers. Work schedules, including breaks, is [sic] subject to negotiation and agreement with/by CSEA." The list also demands that "if the nearest convenience store, coffee shop or diner is not close to worker's work location at break time (including lunch), workers may drive to such location during their work break" and that the town "will generate a 'speeding' report and an 'engine idle' report infrequently and only for the purpose of testing and/or demonstration." Also on the list was an issue that has dogged the GPS debate from the beginning: the possibility that GPS data will be used to discipline employees. "The town will not discipline workers based on any information obtainable via the contracted GPS vendor pertaining to any of the GPS-equipped vehicles," the unions wrote. Meg Shutka, president of the Brookhaven CSEA's white-collar unit, said her members object mostly to "the expense" of installing GPS systems "in these difficult times." Shutka questioned the actual savings to taxpayers proponents have cited as a major reason behind the GPS push, calling those savings "debatable" and adding "it will end up costing [money]." Foley, who first proposed the GPS plan 10 months ago, Councilman Steve Fiore-Rosenfeld (D-East Setauket) and Councilwoman Connie Kepert (D-Middle Island) claim the plan will save the town $643,000 annually while costing only $250,000 to implement. After voting against the GPS plan, Councilwoman Walsh noted that fuel-monitoring systems are already installed in most town vehicles and "we really should have explored expanding our current system." Councilwoman Jane Bonner (C-Rocky Point), who two weeks ago moved to table Foley's resolution, voted in favor of the plan. "I was always leaning toward it," Bonner said after the vote, adding that her and Councilman Keith Romaine's (R-Center Moriches) proposal to remove 45 "commuter cars" from non-union employees, implemented months ago, "fits" with the town's new GPS policy.