Union employee ‘disciplined’ by county manager for talking to legislator

Bill Rutland, a DPW mechanic and Union leader, had the audacity to speak to a county legislator while on his break. For this he was written up by Human Resources.

It is getting rather bizarre around Niagara County Government these days.

Maybe it has always been this way but ever since the Niagara Falls Reporter expanded its coverage to the doings of the GOP-controlled county government there has been a lot of what we might call “funny business.”

Take the case of selling the county storage records building that taxpayers own free and clear and rent one instead from a man who just happens to be one of the largest campaign contributors to Republicans.

Or take the case of where they want to close down a perfectly good landfill years early and it just so happens that the company that would take up the business once it is closed is again a large Republican contributor.

Or take the case where they want to sell valuable county-owned land - at an extremely low price - to again – you guessed it - a Republican contributor.
And here you thought only Democrats did these kind of things.
It seems the GOP can play pretty rough, too.

We reported in the pages of this edition how county manager Jeffry Glatz suspended Richard Pope, coincidentally perhaps, just after he contradicted Glatz and told the world that the landfill Glatz seeks to close is actually making money.

That took the wind out of Glatz’s sails.

Now we have in our possession a disciplinary letter sent to William Rutland, a Department of Public Works mechanic who works at the golf course, in about a $40,000-per-year job. He fixes the 60 or so golf carts and takes care of a myriad of other duties.

Now it so happens that Rutland is also president of AFSCME Local 182 and represents many county employees. Rutland raised objections- rather vocally - as is his job - to the layoffs of workers that will come after the C & D landfill is closed prematurely.

Even after payroll, the landfill nets a profit of more than $200,000 per year.

Rutland also objected – on the record - to the wholesale giveaway of the county’s storage facility on Davison Road which happens to be adjacent to where he works at the golf course.

Taxpayers paid $500,000 to build it 10 years ago- and now the GOP-controlled County government planned to give it away to a campaign contributor, along with 16 acres of prime land for around $100,000.

Rutland and Democratic County legislator Jason Zona brought this injustice to the Reporter, we reported on it, and the GOP has backed off on the deal temporarily.

Now here is where it gets funny.

Zona went to inspect the storage facility last month and at the height of the time when the GOP hoped to sell it wholesale.
When he arrived he asked Rutland where the storage facility was.

According to Rutland, he had the option of taking one of his 15 minute breaks. He took it and spent 10 of those minutes walking Zona the 20 paces or so to show him where the county storage facility is and then went back to work.

Apparently it was discovered and Human Resources sent him a “Disciplinary” letter sating that “you left your assigned work area without seeking permission from your supervisor or manager…. Under no circumstances may you leave the job site to conduct a walk through of another site without Management’s review and approval.

“Any further issues of this type will result in discipline up to and including termination of your employment.”

Rutland, when contacted by the Reporter, said that since he was on his break he believes it was his prerogative to answer the questions of an elected representative of the county.

Newly-elected Niagara County Democratic Party Chairman Nick Forster whose avowed mission is to end “the Republican playground in Niagara County,” has come to Rutland’s defense.

“Who gets disciplined for taking a county elected official around to show him something,” Forster asked “It shows me the majority caucus wants to send a chill to discourage employees from speaking what they know. He was on his break. I think they have gone way too far on this. But you know what happens when you hit a bees’ nest? They come out; they swarm and they sting.”

The collective bargaining agreement between the county and its union employees does allow employees to have periodic breaks and do basically within reason, what they would like to do.