(SOUTHAMPTON, NEW YROK) – Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA)-represented Village of Southampton Members recently held a rally in front of Village Hall to ask that they be treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.

The hard work of these CSEA Members - who keep the village in pristine condition, is why Southampton has become one of the United States’ premier beach attractions during the Summer and a year-round home for many.

Unit Members say the Village is disguising retaliation against CSEA Members for challenging the District with instituting cost-saving measures.

Village of Southampton Administrators are cutting back on overtime, which has caused Village streets to look unkempt and local business owners have complained that overflowing garbage cans are causing an eyesore that is chasing customers away.

And that’s only the beginning.

“The Village has been breaking the Taylor Law by hiring Non-Union Members to do our Bargaining Unit work,” CSEA Village of Southampton Unit President Maurizio Espinosa said. “Management is also deterring workers from becoming or staying CSEA Members.”

To make matters worse, management has been misrepresenting Members’ work duties to civil service to deny the salary raises of hard-working CSEA Members.

“They want a Laborer with a CDL license - nothing crafty about that, right?,” CSEA Village of Southampton Unit Vice President Maryanne Wright said.

However, Non-Union Members are being rewarded with promotions and financial stipends.

In addition, management continues to stall on signing agreements, like waiting to sign the contract with the Village that Unit Members ratified a year and a half ago.

It appears that fear of exposure is the only thing that motivates the Village to do the right thing for workers.

“They came to us ten minutes before the rally started and told us that they wanted to sign the agreement,” Wright said. “All of a sudden.”

Unit Members are understanding of the Village’s duty to save money, but they are feeling the workplace is becoming increasingly hostile.

To Continue Reading This Labor News Story, Go To: Workers rally for respect (cseany.org)