Hamburg – CSEA represented Hamburg employees throughout the town, union representatives and volunteer firefighters packed the Hamburg Town Board meeting room on Feb. 24, furious over Highway Superintendent Ted Casey and his unscrupulous effort to try and terminate a highway department employee with no just cause.
In April of 2019, CSEA members delivered a stunning rebuke of the highway superintendent, voting 23-1 in a vote of no confidence. Controversy after controversy has dogged Mr. Casey’s tenure, who began his assignment in January of 2018. Angry citizens at the meeting shouted out for him to resign which elicited loud applause from the gallery.
Town of Hamburg resident, Cheryl May, ripped into Casey at the start of the public forum portion of the meeting. She pointed her finger at Casey and denounced him for not living up to his promises after criticizing the former highway superintendent in a highly contested political campaign.
“I don’t know how you sleep at night, Mr. Casey,” May said. “You lied to all of us.”
Denise Szymura, CSEA Erie County local president, did not mince her words addressing the town board, underscoring several missteps taken by Casey in recent months.
Szymura said, “Ongoing controversies and poor decision-making seem to be signature talents of Highway Superintendent Ted Casey. If Mr. Casey continues to put workers at risk, manufacture suspect testimony, leak privileged documentation and mislead the Town Board and public regarding circumstances concerning employee relations, our organization will once again have no option other than pursue legal remedies to protect the interests of all our CSEA members,” she said.
Hamburg — CSEA Town of Hamburg Highway Department Unit President Jim Klimowicz addresses the town board in front of a packed house. All photos Ove Overmyer, CSEA ©2020
CSEA Unit President Jim Klimowicz, a 24-year veteran employee with the highway department, said Casey has done nothing to provide mandated safety training for workers and has been unresponsive to improving the department, often thumbing his nose at department employees.
“Ted Casey claims to be so concerned for public safety yet has refused to provide adequate training which puts me and my fellow coworkers as well as the traveling public at risk,” said Klimowicz. He added, “We came here tonight and are begging our town board to hear and rectify our concerns for fair treatment and a safe workplace once a for all.”
Deb Mueller, a CSEA Labor Relations Specialist who lives in the Town of Hamburg, also spoke on behalf of CSEA members.
She said, “We have some incredibly talented and dedicated employees in the Hamburg highway department. They fix our roads and keep us safe during snow and ice season, even if it means working through the night to make sure we can all get to our jobs safely. Bad management can take a good staff and destroy its potential. That is exactly what is happening under the leadership of Ted Casey. He has shown no respect for the collective bargaining agreement nor the laws that govern public sector government. These are our streets and our community, not Ted Casey’s. I strongly urge this board to avail themselves of whatever legal remedies there are to protect your workers and hold Ted Casey accountable for his actions against my members and our community.”
-Ove Overmyer
