As Niagara County lawmakers consider plans for unloading the complex formerly known as Mount View Health Facility, the union representing blue collar employees who used to work at the site are gearing up for an arbitration hearing.
Members of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 182 will ask an arbitrator on Tuesday to reimburse employees of the now-defunct health care facility for lost wages, vacation time and benefits. The union will argue the county failed to properly follow layoff procedures as required by contract when it moved forward with Mount View’s closure last year.
Local 182 includes cleaners, laundry workers, maintenance personnel and other former Mount View employees. Union President Edward McDonald contends the county failed to follow layoff procedures spelled out in the union’s contract which call for employees to be layed off according to rank, with seasonal workers going first, followed by temporary, probationary, part-time and, finally, full-time personnel.
“If you don’t have work for full-timers, then you shouldn’t have work for part-timers and for seasonal workers and for all that,” McDonald said. “We are saying that the county did that absolutely wrong.”
McDonald said the arbitrator will listen to both sides and a decision is not expected until later this year. McDonald said he did not have a financial figure for the amount of damages the union will seek, but did indicate that it would be substantial, given that more than 50 full-time employees were impacted by the facility’s closure.
“I know it will be rather large,” McDonald said.
The county is looking to sell the Mount View campus on Upper Mountain Road in Lockport. Members of the Niagara County Legislature are now in the process of declaring the property as surplus and unnecessary for public use.
Contact reporter Mark Scheer at 282-2311, ext. 2250.
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NIAGARA COUNTY: Union seeks back wages for Mount View employees
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