CSEA: County acts in bad faith Diana's impasse criticized by union

By Joshua Rosenau
GOSHEN ­­— The Civil Service Employees Union, CSEA, is considering pressing charges against the administration of County Executive Edward Diana, according to a statement.

In warring press releases issued Thursday, Diana announced an impasse in talks with the union, which began after the local CSEA 7900/7902 unit offered concessions designed to keep the county-run nursing home Valley View in operation.

“After 15 negotiation sessions, I am very disappointed that the CSEA has not delivered a reasonable contract proposal that takes into account the state of the economy, county finances, and the financial situation at Valley View," Diana said.

The CSEA quickly countered the executive's claims, calling them "inaccurate" and "misinformed."

Of those 15 meetings mentioned, the county canceled five, including the last round, for which the union intended for marathon talks to proceed, according to the statement.

"The union planned to request marathon negotiations at the negotiation session scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 13, but county officials cancelled that session," the union said. "That cancellation was the fifth time management has cancelled negotiations since the process began. CSEA officials are investigating legal options related to the county’s repeated cancellation of negotiations, including the possibility of filing a bad faith bargaining charge with the state Public Employment Relations Board."

Diana blasted certain CSEA conditions, like a reinstatement of paid lunch hours for county workers, wage increases, and further extensions of health benefits to members.

But CSEA Orange County Unit President William Oliphant said Diana's list misrepresents union claims.

“When we have managed to avoid the county canceling on us and meet as scheduled, we’ve been faced with the county negotiators coming unprepared to sessions, lacking the facts and figures needed to reach agreement on various proposals," Oliphant said. "We won’t apologize for bringing our initial proposals, as both sides must have a starting point in negotiations, but the county executive’s list of our proposals is untrue. The union has made offers of concessions. It’s unethical of Diana to mislead the public on this issue, especially with so much at stake.”