CSEA organizers, town employees press board to recognize union; board and members spar over a single job title

Union supporters, town employees and CSEA representatives used the public-comment period to press the Town Board to recognize a CSEA bargaining unit for town employees. Ian Spencer (speaker 10) told the board that unless a title is policy-making it can be represented by a union and questioned the board’s repeated deferrals. CSEA speakers urged the board to certify recognition rather than continue what they called a costly delay.

Town employees stood at the podium to support the organizing effort. Rick Schwartz (speaker 14), who identified himself as a town employee, said the organizing drive aims to ensure workers' voices are heard: "We will continue to stand firm in our position and that all of us deserve to have all rights respected," he said. Board members countered that only one title—the zoning/code enforcement officer—remains contested; the supervisor said the town and CSEA "have jointly agreed on all positions that should be included in the bargaining unit... with the exception of a single job title, zoning and code enforcement." Board members also cited a process issue: a PERB hearing officer recusal and reassignment pushed the matter from Syracuse to Buffalo, contributing to the delay.

A motion to voluntarily recognize the union as proposed failed on the floor after debate and multiple speakers asked that the board defer to the pending PERB conference on Jan. 7. The board did not adopt voluntary recognition during this meeting; PERB procedures and the Jan. 7 telephone conference were cited as the next procedural steps.