Brookhaven Town, white-collar workers' union set to meet with mediator over contract

Negotiators for Town of Brookhaven and its unionized white-collar workers will go before a state mediator Thursday as they seek to resolve their dispute over a new contract, officials said.

The meeting comes after union leaders last week voiced objections to one contract demand made by town officials — that white-collar employees extend their daily shifts by a half-hour, with no additional pay.

"You’re asking the white-collar unit to work extra hours for free," Civil Service Employees Association white-collar unit president John Kelly said Tuesday during a Brookhaven Town Board meeting. "While most employers are offering higher pay and benefits, this administration is asking its hourly white-collar employees to work extra hours without being paid for it. This cannot and will not happen. … Actually, you’re offering an hourly pay cut."

Brookhaven Supervisor Edward P. Romaine angrily disputed Kelly's contentions while expressing hope that the mediator would help resolve the contract dispute.

He said Brookhaven is the only town on Long Island where white-collar workers finish their shifts at 4:30 p.m., instead of 5 p.m.

"No one, and I mean no one on this board is asking anyone to work any extra hours without pay," Romaine said. "But every town, every town, every town on Long Island works 9 to 5 as their hours, but not Brookhaven."

Romaine said Brookhaven chief of operations Matt Miner said they had proposed setting new salaries based on pay received by white-collar workers in Suffolk's four other western townships, including Babylon, Huntington, Islip and Smithtown.

"We would look at the salary by Civil Service title and do a median salary of the other towns and … that salary would apply here in Brookhaven," Romaine said.

The white-collar unit, which includes about 315 members, sought federal mediation last fall after declaring they were at an impasse with Brookhaven officials over negotiations for a new contract.

Kelly said white-collar union members, most of them women, had worked more than two years without a contract. White-collar employees, including clerical staff, building inspectors, fire marshals, law department investigators, assessors, information technology specialists and other workers, have provided services for town residents through the pandemic despite the contract dispute, Kelly said.

He said working an extra 30 minutes per day would affect child care and elder care arrangements for many employees.

Including daily break times, white-collar employees work 32.5 hours per week, Miner said, adding the town's unionized blue-collar and highway department employees work 40-hour weeks. CSEA represents about 200 blue-collar workers and 210 highway employees.

Miner said the town would be willing to resume negotiations with the white-collar unit if the union agreed to drop its declaration of impasse.

Brookhaven last fall agreed to a 12-year contract with highway workers, including annual raises totaling 21.25% over the life of the contract.

Correction: An earlier version of the story incorrectly described the mediator. The mediator will be assigned from the New York State Public Employment Relations Board, or PERB.

By Carl MacGowan

carl.macgowan@newsday.comCarlMacGowan

Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.