Churches’ campaign aims to help laid-off employees

By Ed Runyan

It’s unlikely the public will approve additional taxes to bring the workers back, a union official said.

WARREN — Two days after 31 policemen and firefighters began their indefinite layoffs, pastors from five area churches kicked off a campaign they hope will help the workers and their families survive, so that they can return to their jobs some day.

But two affected workers say they doubt the city administration can — or even wants to — bring the workers back.

Pastor John Temple of Grace Fellowship Church — one of five Warren-area churches participating in Project We Care, said the program’s focus is on policemen and firefighters, and not on nine other city workers on layoff, because the city’s safety forces are “the face of the city.”

Without strong safety forces, the city could be reduced to “chaos,” he said, adding, “We’re talking safety issues.”

Father Charles Crumbley of St. James Roman Catholic Church, where a news conference announcing the start of the project was held, said Warren is losing a large number of “very professional” policemen and firefighters because of the layoffs.

Pastor John Newby Jr. of Grace AME Church added that the officers and firefighters losing their jobs here will be valued employees for another department somewhere.

The two other churches participating in the effort are AGAPE Assembly and North Mar Church.

A key component of the project is to raise money and provide financial help to the workers, but another part will be provide emotional and spiritual guidance to the affected families, the pastors said.

“We will assist them in as many ways as we can,” Pastor Newby said.

Pastor Temple noted that churches came together the last time safety workers lost their jobs because of budgetary issues.

Most of the workers eventually returned to their jobs and to this day appreciate the assistance, he said.

Marc Titus, president of the union that represents Warren’s firefighters, said he’s not sure this layoff will be resolved as successfully as the last time.

Passage of a levy brought workers back the last time, but there is no levy request this time, and he doubts the citizens are inclined to approve extra taxes any time soon.

Titus said he thinks Mayor Michael O’Brien eliminated 31 jobs in the police and fire departments and refused to refill four other vacancies in the fire department because he wanted to trim the number of workers in those departments.

“This was an attempt by the administration to cut the safety forces,” Titus said.

The public won’t approve any more tax money for the city because the perception of the public is that the city “doesn’t know how to spend money,” Titus said.

O’Brien has said the cuts were necessary because of the loss of jobs at Delphi Packard Electric and other area manufacturing facilities. The job losses have eliminated millions in income tax revenue, he said. The layoffs went into effect Thursday.

City council approved a 2009 budget that was $1.2 million less than the 2008 budget.

Even if workers don’t get their jobs back, the efforts of the churches are appreciated, said Mark Thigpen, one of the laid-off firefighters.

“It’s about counseling, the spiritual support. It goes deeper than financial support,” Thigpen said.

runyan@vindy.com