Mechanics Bypass Council
Seek State Sign-Off On Residency Break

By REUVEN BLAU

Frustrated that District Council 37's negotiated measure to ease residency requirements has been blocked by the City Council, the union representing city mechanics said last week that it has an alternate plan to introduce a similar bill in the State Legislature soon.

JOSEPH COLANGELO: 'Can't wait for Council.'

Joseph A. Colangelo, the president of Service Employees International Union Local 246, said that he will once again lobby state legislators to support legislation allowing his more-than 1,600 members to live in the six state counties surrounding New York City - Nassau, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Suffolk, and Westchester.

'A Key Contract Issue'

"I'm going to reintroduce this legislation at some point to get this thing passed," Mr. Colangelo asserted during a recent phone interview. "My members voted on a contract where this was a key issue, and then to have it blocked by someone who was not involved in those talks, it's just not fair."

Relaxing the city's residency rules was a major provision in District Council 37's contract negotiated last summer. Shortly afterwards, numerous other civilian unions bargained identical stipulations in their contracts as well.

ROBERT UNGAR: Break will aid recruitment.

But Joseph P. Addabbo Jr., the chair of the Civil Service and Labor Committee, and many of his colleagues have objected to the proposal because they believe that placing civilian employees on the same residency footing as their uniformed counterparts could leave city-based job-seekers at a disadvantage.

The more competition from outside the five boroughs, the tougher it is for city residents to snag jobs, Mr. Addabbo and many of his colleagues have noted.

A Case for Flexibility

Supporters of the bill have countered that it really isn't an issue for the majority of the civilian titles DC 37 and the other unions represent. "I don't think thousands of white kids from the suburbs will be rushing to take jobs as nurse aides," said Charles Ensley, the president of Social Service Employees Local 371, in January.

Robert A. Ungar, Local 246's lobbyist, noted that the union represents highly skilled mechanics who fix and maintain the city's entire fleet of police cars and fire engines. The title, he added, is a hard-to-fill position. "The city should have the ability to hire the best available mechanics," he said. "There is a recruitment and retention problem that this bill would help fix."

Mr. Colangelo pointed out that employees in many other civil service titles are currently allowed to reside outside the city. The city's correction officers, cops, firefighters, and sanitation workers can live in Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Orange, Nassau or Suffolk counties. "All we are asking for is to be treated equally," he said. "To have people within the Council block this legislation is very disheartening."

By all accounts, the measure will affect only a small number of workers who can afford to move to the six neighboring state counties, where real estate can be just as costly as it is in much of the city.

"There won't be some mass exodus," Mr. Colangelo observed. "My members just want to be allowed to live where they want. That's not to say they are going to move. Most of the people are city residents now."

A Residency Bonus?

Mr. Addabbo has said that the Council would entertain a modified version of the bill which would give job candidates living in the city some type of exam bonus, just as individuals currently receive if they pass the Firefighter and Police Officer exams.

But the Bloomberg administration and DC 37 have opposed making such an adjustment to the proposal.

In response to the deadlock, DC 37 has threatened to withhold campaign contributions from any City Council Members opposing the proposal. But that stance has appeared to fizzle, as the city lawmakers have continued to block the bill.

It is unclear what the chances are of the State Legislature backing the same measure. The legislation passed both houses last year but was vetoed by then-Governor Pataki.

That rejection memo cited the Bloomberg administration's opposition to the change. That will not be the case this time, as the Mayor has agreed to back the measure at the City Council as part of the union's contract.

Hopes for Turnaround

But some other unions still believe that DC 37 - which did not return calls seeking comment - will persuade the Council to pass the bill as drafted. "I would hope the issue could be resolved with the City Council," said Gregory Floyd, the head of Teamsters Local 237. "Clearly Mayor Bloomberg is in favor of this because he negotiated this with DC 37. Before I look to go somewhere else I would try to work it out here."

Mr. Colangelo, however, said the situation at the Council left him no choice but to seek another option. "We all sat on the sidelines to wait to see this get done," he remarked. "But now it's reached a point where it's almost a year since our contract has been passed. Now the members are saying they were lied to when they voted for the contract."