Laramore
ALBANY — As a caseworker trainee at the Greene County Department of Social Services, William Laramore dealt with many cases involving children and parents trying to reunite.
He said the job could be difficult, but that he attended regular training meetings, and his managers at the county never gave him any indication that his performance was subpar.
“I had gotten to a comfort level where I was learning the job and getting much better at it,” he said. “I thought I was doing fine.”
Ten months and two days after he was hired, Laramore learned that he had been terminated.
“They essentially said, ‘we’re letting you go,’ Laramore said. “They gave me a lot of compliments (about my performance), but no real reason.”
“I was more stunned than anything,” he said of his reaction to the news.
While Laramore soon found another job, he still struggled to make ends meet. “I was fortunate that I had found another job, but it has lower pay and benefits,” he said. “Greene County gave me a lot of stability and job satisfaction.”
His surprise at losing his county job slowly turned to anger as the county dragged the case on for several years. “I got angry when the county refused to take responsibility,” he said. “There was no sense that they had made a mistake. They fought us every step of the way.”
Laramore, who was eventually hired at a state agency, is relieved that he and the other workers have now been made whole. The case also taught him more about the resources that unions can offer.
“I was actually surprised to hear what our union can do for us,” he said. “There was never a sense that CSEA would give up on this and that’s awesome.”
Laramore also credited CSEA Senior Associate Counsel Jennifer C. Zegarelli, who led the legal process on behalf of our union.
“Jennifer has been here throughout this process. Without her, we would have had no recourse,” he said. “It’s really a David v. Goliath story.”
— Janice Gavin
