ORANGE, NJ — After months of speculation, Orange business administrator Chris Hartwyk revealed the state Civil Service Commission has approved the layoff and furlough plan he submitted for review weeks ago.
The Thursday, June 14, letter from Kelly Glenn, director of Agency Services for the state Civil Service Commission, to Mayor Dwayne Warren, approves the city’s layoff plan proposal, with copies going to Hartwyk, Policemen’s Benevolent Association President Joseph Lane, Firefighters Mutual Benevolent Association President Marquis Bonds, Superior Officers Association President Joegy Jacob and others. It also came attached to a memorandum dated Thursday, June 14, from Glenn to NJCSC Chairwoman and CEO Deirdre L. Webster, detailing the key points of the plan approved by the state.
“The city of Orange Township has stated in the layoff plan that the city faces a $7,100,000 budget deficit,” said Glenn in the memo of Thursday, June 14, to Webster. “The city has taken other measures to reduce costs; however, a large deficit remains. Therefore, for reasons of economy and efficiency, the city has proposed a layoff to reduce costs, to avoid significant adverse impact on the city’s financial performance.”
According to Glenn’s memorandum, the Warren Layoff Plan only affects the Police and Fire departments, the two biggest bargaining units when it comes to city employees, and the two biggest ticket-item expenses, when it comes to the salaries and benefits the city is contractually obligated to honor.
Glenn’s memorandum lists Tuesday, May 29, as the date Hartwyk sent the letter to the NJCSC on Warren’s behalf, asking for permission to implement a proposed layoff plan. It also says the Warren administration now has 45 days from Friday, June 15, to notify affected city employees.
According to Glenn’s memorandum, the specific OPD and OFD jobs that will be affected are: four deputy fire chiefs, eight fire captains, 15 firefighters, six police lieutenants, 15 police sergeants and 24 police officers. It says 72 city employees are targeted.
“I have reviewed the letter dated May 29, 2018, from Christopher M. Hartwyk, business administrator, regarding the contemplated layoff of 72 employees in the city of Orange Township, 27 in the Fire Department and 45 in the Police Department,” said Glenn in her letter to Warren. “The contents of the layoff plan are in compliance with the provisions … and the layoff is hereby approved. The approved plan proposes a layoff date, effective close of business, July 30, 2018. In order to meet the timeframes that the city of Orange Township has established for the layoff, please be advised the general and individual 45-day notices must be issued no later than June 15, 2018.”
Glenn went on to state, “The ‘individual 45-day notices’ must be served personally on the employees whose positions have been initially selected or targeted for abolishment or reduction” and “If an employee is not available, or is on a leave of absence, notification must be served by certified mail.” She also said the “general 45-day notices” must be “conspicuously posted” in all facilities of the affected organizational units, and must be personally served on all employees whose positions may be affected by the layoff.”
According to Glenn, the only city employees in the OPD and OFD exempt from the layoff plan are members of the U.S. Armed Forces “on a military leave of absence for active service in time of war or emergency.”
“Upon receipt of the individual 45-day notices, this office will determine the seniority, displacement rights and special reemployment rights of the affected employees,” said Glenn on Thursday, June 14.
Hartwyk informed the Orange City Council about the NJCSC’s approval of the layoff plan Saturday, June 16, during the governing body’s second hearing on the proposed 2018 city budget. Hartwyk said the approved layoff plan does not include the OPD’s Superior Officers Association union nor the non-uniform OMEBA union employees who have already agreed to give back eight days of pay to the administration. At the time they made their deals to do so, the city still had not officially confirmed the $7.1 million deficit in the 2018 city budget.
On Saturday, June 16, at the council’s second budget hearing, in response to a question from at large Councilwoman Donna K. Williams about the status of the city’s ongoing contract negotiations with the OPD and OFD unions over “giveback days or furlough days,” Hartwyk said he would be speaking with union representatives within the week adding, “They’re not furlough days,
they’re giveback days because they are essential personnel. No they haven’t agreed to the savings that I have listed as ‘Layoffs Savings’ in the city budget proposal.”
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