Acropolis challenges workers to take pay cuts to keep jobs

Unless things change soon, Brick Township bus driver Dawn Tabish will lose her job on New Year's Eve.

Tabish is one of 47 municipal workers on the township's layoff list and one of many who packed the Dec. 10 Township Council meeting.

She came to the microphone during the public portion to let Brick officials know what that will mean to her, the other employees and the residents.

"I'm a single mom," she said. "My only income is what I make here. I had to inform my children that Dec. 19 is our last paycheck. So there is no Christmas."

Tabish, who said she was thrilled when she moved to Brick 23 years ago, told the council the township is no longer "a hometown."

"I just hope the town understands that a lot of people are going to be crippled by the decisions that are going to be made," she said. "And not only just the employees. If a lot of this is privatized, this isn't going to be a hometown any more. Be careful in the decisions that you make. This is your legacy. This is going to be what everybody's going to remember."

Tabish made the remarks during a sometimes emotional meeting where council President Ruthanne Scaturro rapped her gavel for order several times.

"I will clear the room," Scaturro said. "I have no problem with that."

Mayor Stephen C. Acropolis welcomed the workers who showed up at the meeting.

"I know this is not all the employees," he said. "I expected all the seats to be taken. I'm glad to have them here."

The township is facing a nearly $4 million budget shortfall in 2009, primarily because of the state-imposed 4 percent cap on the amount that can be raised by taxation each year, a $1.3 million hike in the employee health care premiums, a decrease in state aid and an increase in transportation and utility costs.

Acropolis compared the township's budget woes to a scene in the movie "Crimson Tide," where submariners have to close a hatch on fellow workers to prevent the entire submarine from flooding.

"If somebody doesn't close the hatch door, we are not only going to have problems next year, but the year after that and the year after that," the mayor said. "If we have to go out and look for another $600,000 next year, I don't know where it's going to come from."

Township Councilman Brian DeLuca said he understood what employees are facing. He will lose his job with Merrill Lynch early next year, a result of massive layoffs.

"I worked for Merrill Lynch for 28 years," DeLuca said. "I will be one of them. If you think that we don't feel your pain, we do. Believe me, the last thing we want to do is lay anybody off here."

Fred Potter, president of Teamsters Local 469, said he was there to support the employees who will soon lose their jobs. Potter urged the administration to continue trying to lower the number of workers who will lose their jobs.

"You may not be able to save everybody," he said. "From 59 to 47 is a start. The worst thing about this is it's at the worst time. There are no jobs out there. There's a feeling of uncertainty. There's a feeling of mistrust. Let's try to reduce that number."

Laying off employees has a "hidden" effect behind the obvious, Potter said.

"This isn't a free ride," he said. "When these people get laid off, they get unemployment. They are going to use New Jersey Kids Care. They are going to use charity care. And they may not be able to pay their taxes. People are going to lose their homes. There's a hidden cost to employees being displaced."

Potter and Chris Mikkelson and Susan Resch, officials for the TWU, said they would be willing to go to Trenton with Acropolis to appeal to state officials.

Township Labor Attorney Arthur Thibault Jr. asked union officials to ask their memberships if they would be willing to take a 10 percent salary cut.

"If everybody was wiling to do that, we could probably avoid those layoffs," he said. "2009 is not a rosy picture. 2010 looks worse."

Acropolis asked for a "show of hands" as to how many employees would be willing to take a 7 or 8 percent pay cut to save some of their fellow workers jobs.

"How may people in the room would that," he said. "I'm not feeling the love here."

When some audience members started to mutter, Acropolis said he knew his suggestion was not the way to bargain a contract.

"The day of throwing your brother under the bus to get your raise, those days have to be over," he said.