What's happening to Jason Rosati is simply inexcusable. He's a lieutenant at the jail who was fired in January for insisting that corrections officers on his shift follow the dress code. At his termination hearing, if you can call it that, he was denied the right to bring in a lawyer or respond to the explain that he was really being fired because the officer he disciplined is a favorite of Deputy Administrator Cathy Allen.
Rosati appealed his termination, and was granted a hearing before the Personnel Appeals Board in July. He put on his entire case that night, but now the County wants to be heard.
There was no hearing in August.
Or September.
The way things are going, there might be a hearing in October.
Or not.
After that hearing, it will be a few more months before the Board gets together again with the transcripts to reach a decision.
So a man who was unfairly fired in January will have gone at least a year before he gets a decision.
This, in and of itself, is a denial of due process. This practice demonstrates a blatant disregard for the county worker.
The five persons on the Personnel Appeals Board, who are nominated by the Executive and confirmed by Council, are Bill Alexander, himself a retired corrections officer; Dave "Lump" Sanders, owner of Bethlehem's revered Table of Knowledge at Lump's Deli; Ralph Stampone, owner of Ralph's Radiator and inspector of my now deceased Jeep; Pen Argyl's John Dally, who also sits on the Gaming Board; and Pat Siemiontkowski, who retired recently as Northampton County's own HR Director.
They are represented by Christian Perrucci.
I have spoken individually to Board members, and they themselves have complained to me about the length of time between hearings. But there's certainly no sense of urgency on the part of the County.
For this reason, it is time to mandate a regular monthly meeting of the Personnel Appeals Board. If there is no business, they simply don't meet.
29 comments:
"At Gracedale, for example, a lowly nurse's aid was able to work herself up through the ranks, go to school and become either the Director or Assistant Director of Nursing."
Yet there are those who are screened out and can't even get their foot in the door at Gracedale because their reputation precedes them. It's good that they have standards.
Lousy hall walkers.
"So a man who was unfairly fired"
So says you. I guess due process is not something the truth gets on this blog. Lol
The county is skilled at pushing off the inevitable. My union has been trying to go to arbitration for 9 months now. The county just keeps getting continuance after continuance...
Lazy hall walkers.
Guy was fired.
End of story.
NorCo continues to loose talented people in all divisions of Human Services. The new people brought on the past few years lack knowledge and leadership and follow Brown's apathy toward retaining the talent already established.
This has been going on for years. They reward those who brown nose and not those who have talents and knowledge. I'll use the Jail as an example. I've been told that they have promoted favorites rather than the most qualified for positions i.e. : The most recent vacancies of Captain and Intake administrator, both given to those less qualified people. A Jail board member simply has no knowledge of what is required of each position. Why in the world would a Jail board member be involved in the hiring process??? Favoritism has ran rampant for years and the county will continue to reward those less qualified and loose those who are. The only way the right the ship is lawsuits. Even then, the county usually continues to disregard the rights of their workers.
"Yet there are those who are screened out and can't even get their foot in the door at Gracedale because their reputation precedes them. It's good that they have standards."
Thank God!
"So says you. I guess due process is not something the truth gets on this blog. Lol"
Due process is required before governmental action, not a blog. It's very clear that due process has been ignored, and the delay in scheduling a hearing on this matter is more proof. The evidence out on in the hearing that was conducted makes very clear that Rosati was fired for insisting that officers follow the rules. When you don't fdo that, you end uo with contraband rings.
I know members of the personnel Appeals Board who themselves feel these delays are unacceptable. The system has to change, and Council can schedule monthly meetings if the county does not get off its ass and start treating its workers fairly.
Justice delayed is justice denied.
Pat Siemontowski should not be on the Personnel Appeals Board. She is one who wrote the illegal "Personnel Rules" that John Brown uses to give his illegal pay raises. The County cannot mandate that the Personnel Appeals Board meet monthly. They only meet when there are issues before them to be resolved. They must get notification that they have an "appeal" to be resolved and then they can cal a meeting. The County administration is at fault, not the Appeals Board. Unless the appeals board is notified that they have an issue to be settled, they have no clue that they should meet.
What kind of experience does "Lump" Landers have in the personnel arena? He should not be allowed to serve on that Board because of his resume. Most ridiculous appointment ever. He does make a good Hoagie.
Having the HR director on the appeals board looks terrible.
I agree with others - unless they are demonstrably skilled in HR affairs, I have no idea why any of those people are on that board. Appears like the most random selection of people you can find.
Regardless of the details of the case, every employee deserves a prompt hearing and that board needs to stop being lazy and do their jobs.
It is the former HR Director, so I am not troubled by her membership.
8:53, Lump is pretty good and has lots of questions.
Nothing happened in Bethlehem today, as usual. Karner and donchez are both asleep at the wheel trying to protect their future and pensions by just being bland and increasingly dysfunctional.
"I am not troubled by her membership."
That sonly because Stoffa hired her.
Actually, it's bc she is retired and knows the subject. And no, she did not write the 3' thick policies manual .
I'd be troubled by the former or present HR director on an appeals board. You assume she carries no bias. She hasn't been retired all that long.
HR directors have no business being on an appeals board since the appeals are usually the result of HR action.
If the HR department has representation, the employees and unions should have representation on the board too.
In cases where she has had some involvement, like this one, she was recused. But generally speaking, I think someone who has experience in HR matters would be an asset. A union official used to handling grievances would be a good pick, too.
3:53;
Bo really doesn't want to hear the truth that you type. It goes against his hate for anything about the Brown administration and his ass sucking of worthless over paid county so called employees.
@4:02PM Exactly what does your vulgar comment add to the conversation? You can't even spell "overpaid" or "so-called". What kind of county employee would you make? You sound like that illiterate MezzaNoJobNoProspects with her endless allegations about "hate blog" and her own hatred of county employees. Hypocrite much?
BOH has to carry water for the fellow sociopathic narcissist at the jail who was such a disaster for years on end, he was finally removed. The common denominator is woman hating/bashing lunatic with no dick worth a roll in a jackass barnyard.
CHOW
4:02...his ass sucking is the product of him being reduced to the average Joe, now that Daddy boy Stoffa cant give him the keys to the lions den. He now has to double and triple back on the union hating, bend over nicely, no vaseline, and take it up the ass from the county workers, so he can get scraps of info, that used to pour like lava from a volcano in guam. What sucks for him, is that all the workers have his number, and treat him like the piece of toxic shit that he is.
"as evidenced by 11 different unions representing most of the workers" ?
11 unions for how many people? What are the names unions represented at this facility?
Your question, as stated, is unclear. Eleven unions represent about 75% of the 2,200 person workforce. If you are asking me to name them all, I can't.
That Personnel Appeals Board better prepare for a bit of overtime because a few other lieutenants might be following Rosati out the door in the near future, stay tuned.
In response to 8:12 The right man got the Intake Administrator job and it wasn't even a hard decision. Frank might have less time at the prison but he has a degree, doesn't have a known drinking problem like someone we all know and never had someone drinking booze right under his nose for months and never realized it until it was too late!
If he were a grey shirt (Corrections Officer) instead of a Supervisor he would have already had his job back from the arbitrator with full back pay. BUT...for a measly 5% more in pay and to be branded a LT., you are at the whim of whomever want's to get rid of you at any time. I know Jason and I hope he gets his job back...go back to grey shirt where you are protected.
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