December 4, 2009
Hon. Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr.
Essex County Executive
Hall of Records, Room 405
465 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
Newark, NJ, 07102
Re: DCO Energy LLC
Price Increases for Services
Dear Mr. DiVincenzo:
CWA Local 1081 respectfully submits this request for an explanation from your administration as to why the County of Essex is proposing providing DCO Energy LLC three respective significant price increases for work the firm will perform next year operating and maintaining the building systems at the Department of Corrections (Resolution #5, attached), the New Hospital Center (Resolution #24, attached) and the Juvenile Detention Center (Resolution #26, attached). All of the cited resolutions may be found within the attached December 3, 2009 Conference Meeting agenda of the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders:
- For 2009, $2,874,553 was allotted to DCO Energy LLC for services for the Correctional Facility while for 2010 $2,951,485 is now being proposed representing a 10% increase.
- For 2009, $1,804,405 was allotted to DCO Energy LLC for services for the New Hospital Center while for 2010 $1,971,654 is now being proposed representing a 9% increase.
- For 2009, $809,250 was allotted to DCO Energy LLC for services for the Juvenile Detention Center while for 2010 $922,900 is now being proposed representing a 9% increase.
Meanwhile, the members of CWA Local 1081 have been denied a requested total 9.5% contractual salary increase over the three year period running from January 1, 2008 through December 31, 2010 with your administration offering instead a mere 3% total salary increase over those three years. At the same time, your administration is demanding our Union’s members agree to pay 1.5% of that 3% salary increase toward the County’s costs of providing their health benefits. In these admittedly difficult fiscal times, why is DCO Energy LLC considered worthy by your administration of a 28% increase over one year while the employees of the Essex County Division of Welfare are considered worthy of only an effective 1.5% salary increase over three years?
It is worthwhile noting, our Union submits, that the apparent principals of DCO Energy LLC reported donating approximately $42,800 to Essex County Democrats, and approximately $219,250 to the NJ State Democratic Committee and NJ Victory 2006 combined, over the past five years.
Additionally, CWA Local 1081 respectfully requests your administration explain why each of the three abovementioned resolutions contain a memorandum written Essex County Administrator Joyce Wilson Harley maintaining that “As noted on the attached Certification of Fund Availability, funds for the contract are available” while the separate Certification of Funds documents all state “Contingent Subsequent Years” which our Union interprets as meaning the funds have not yet been appropriated.
Sincerely,
David H. Weiner, President
CWA Local 1081