Honesdale's entire Department of Public Works crew has resigned
Posters, covered in transparent plastic, and anonymously stapled to some utility poles in downtown Honesdale, read: “The citizens of Honesdale Borough appreciate the Department of Public Works (DPW). We stand with them for a fair deal from the Borough Council." Posters remained, Friday, April 26, after all six members of the DPW crew quit.
As of Monday, April 29, the borough has nobody working for DPW, no one to work on streets or the parks or other duties. Councilor Noelle Mundy said Monday, "We are actively seeking a DPW director but have no current plans to fill the worker positions. We plan on contracting out for jobs such as park maintenance, debris pickup and street cleaning." Mundy chairs the borough Personnel Committee.
The recently unionized department consisted of Director Joseph Rulis and his crew. Rulis’ resignation was accepted at the March 27 council meeting, followed by crew members April 22. No explanation was released.
DPW crew that resigned, with their effective dates, are Mark Daniels Jr., April 12; Mark Daniels Sr., April 26; Douglas Gombert, April 10; William Corcoran, April 26; Harry Seitz, April 26; and Roger Kenyon, April 26.
Rulis’ resignation was approved unanimously, the motion being made by Mundy "with regret." Councilor James Hamill said that he appreciated Rulis for his "get it done mentality." Rulis was hired in June 2023.
The motion to accept the crew resignations was made by Mundy and passed unanimously.
Mundy also moved to authorize the Personnel Committee to conduct interviews for a new director, saying that "as far as DPW workers, projects and so forth, there is quite a bit on the calendar in the future, and we do need somebody help our interim manager and (newly hired Borough Manager Susan Shaffer) to handle the load."
In an interview, Mundy said "there was no specific reason stated" when asked why the DPW quit. "They felt they were treated poorly," she said. "I had called a special meeting and met with them to address their concerns, but to no avail."
During public comment, Debbie Seitz spoke up concerning the DPW resignations.
"I outlined two years ago why people are resigning from working here, and nothing has been done," Seitz stated.
"I'm a taxpayer and I expect certain services to be delivered for that money I have been giving you every single year," Seitz said. "The conditions in this town are such that people are resigning on a regular basis and you are not addressing the cause of those resignations."
Seitz asked who will do "all the work that the taxpayers expect for the money that we laid out."
Mundy said this is why they hired a "very competent borough manager," someone from the outside that will identify and address the issues.
Mundy said this will be "an opportunity for us to be able to better serve this community by taking the time to hire the correct people for these positions" and that in the meantime, projects will be contracted out.
"But we are certainly not going to be taking taxpayers' money and just stop having it without having projects done," Mundy continued. "So, I can't promise you that those concerns have been addressed. Obviously, the manager is new, some of the council members are new. We all come in from the outside for a fresh look for this very reason. We live here too. We work here too, and we understand there is obviously a reputation that comes with the borough, which is what we are trying to address. We think a lot of it is overstated in the community. I understand you have worked here at one time, but I think we have been able to address some of the issues that you have been talking about."
Seitz responded, "That was a nice dose of minimalization."
Seitz continued, “You said the employees are appreciated. No, they're not. They are treated with disrespect a lot of times and I experienced it, and that's why my time and talent isn't given to this borough anymore."
DPW had recently unionized
The International Association of Machinists (IAM) union welcomed Honesdale DPW into their ranks Jan. 3. A press release from IAM announced that the DPW employees had unanimously agreed to join.
Mundy said in the interview that she could not comment on negotiations, but stated that "the union formation was in process."
DPW workers began organizing last fall. Brent Coleman, the Eastern Territory’s Organizing Lead, commented in the press release, “These are the kinds of workers that benefit from unionizing. Their wages and benefits had been stagnant for years. Few people can survive the economy in 2024 with wages from 2020.”
DPW workers were to be trained in negotiations and first contract demands, Coleman said.
As reported in October, then-DPW Director Rulis said that by unionizing, they could negotiate better wages and insurance costs, and receive more on-the-job training and legal protection from being fired.
He said by having this contract, there would be less turnover of personnel, and the borough would know how to budget DPW payroll knowing what is contracted.
He said that after he was hired, the DPW staff discussed joining a union following what he described as a "couple write-ups" workers judged unfair, and complaints over wages.
IAM held a preliminary conference call Oct. 27 to hear any issues raised by the Borough, such as the bargaining unit's scope. An online hearing with the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board was held Nov. 3.
Coleman said that the borough raised objections to the department director joining the union.
Once formed, newly unionized employees and their employer would negotiate a collective bargaining agreement. An IAM representative would negotiate on behalf of the workers.
A message left with the IAM regarding both the union and the resignations had not been returned as of Tuesday afternoon.
Peter Becker has worked at the Tri-County Independent or its predecessor publications since 1994. Reach him at pbecker@tricountyindependent.com or 570-253-3055 ext. 1588.
This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Honesdale's entire Department of Public Works crew has resigned
