Salem County freeholders are considering privatizing the jail nursing staff and the county 911 center.
SALEM -- Union workers have a clear message for Salem County freeholders: Don't privatize our jobs.
One option the county administration is considering to reduce costs is trying to determine whether money can be saved by privatizing the county's 911 dispatching services and the medical staff at the Salem County Correctional Facility.
That idea isn't sitting well with workers.
Members of Communications Workers Local 1085 -- many wearing their red union T-shirts -- along members of law enforcement and their union representatives, filled the Old Courthouse at Wednesday night's freeholder meeting as a sign of their displeasure with the idea.
"We are here not to confront you or argue with you. We are just here to get some honest answers on some of the things Salem County has told me they are going to do a considering privatizing the nursing at the jail and privatizing the 911 center," said Communications Works of America Local 1085 President Mike Blaszczyk. "We feel bringing in outside services is a disservice to Salem County."
Blaszczyk told freeholders that the county workers who would be impacted by any privatization move "are not only union members, they are your constituents, your neighbors ..."
He said "we can work out whatever is needed .... We're ready to work with you."
"Don't ever think we just make random decisions," Freeholder Director Julie Acton told the speakers.
Estimates on how much privatization would save Salem County weren't discussed.
Solicitor Michael Mulligan confirmed that the county has completed a draft of a request to seek bids for privatization of the jail nursing staff. And a draft to seek bids for countywide dispatching services is in the works.
Before these requests for proposals, or RFPs, can be put out seeking bids, the freeholder board must OK that action.
The 911 center in Mannington Township, which is overseen by the Salem County Sheriff's Office, has 31 full-time and seven part-time employees.
At the neighboring jail, also under direction of the Sheriff's Office, the medical staff is comprised of 16 full-time employees and two part-time workers, officials said.
Sheriff Chuck Miller said he is vehemently opposed to privatization of the 911 center which dispatches county fire, police and ambulance services countywide.
"First and foremost, had I had any inkling three years ago privatizing the 911 center would have been considered, I would not have volunteered to take that over and make it the professional operation it is today," Miller said Thursday.
"The men and women who are employed there are true professionals. We have raised the bar and they are truly an integral part of public safety in Salem County."
Miller said that the jail already contracts with a private firm for psychological examinations and dispensing of medications. Looking at whether privatizing the medical staff could save money there is something that makes sense, he said.
One thing Miller said would not work is privatizing the jail's corrections officers. That has not been brought up yet by county officials.
"I have seen (jail privatization) this and the statistics on this. It's just a disaster waiting to happen," Miller said.
Lt. Bob Gant, president of the Salem County Fraternal Order of Police, told freeholders Wednesday night privatization has "failed miserably" in other areas.
"Nothing good can come of this," said Gant.
The freeholder board has already taken several steps to close the county budget gap. Departments were ordered to make cuts which will likely impact staff.
Employees who had received a stipend for not using county-provided medical care saw that taken away. A countywide hiring freeze was put into effect and freeholders froze their own salaries.
County Chief Financial Officer/Treasurer Katie Coleman said in an email Thursday that the proposed budget presented during the freeholders' workshop meeting Wednesday night "was balanced, but included assumptions for substantial labor savings that can be realized in several ways, including voluntary concessions by labor units, employee attrition, and/or decreasing employee work hours through legal means available to the county."
The county plans to introduce the 2016 budget on April 20, with a public hearing and final adopted scheduled for May 4.
Privatization is not new to Salem County. The county privatized IT services in 2014. According t Coleman, the county initially saved $550,000 with the move and has saved $150,000 annual over the past two years.
A large decrease in ratables is one of the problems that has made it so difficult for the county to craft a balanced budget.
"I apologize we are in this situation," Acton said Wednesday night. "I wish we weren't."
Bill Gallo Jr. may be reached at bgallo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow South Jersey Times on Twitter @TheSJTimes.A Find NJ.com on Facebook.