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Most dismissed MetroParks staffers took severance packages
YOUNGSTOWN
Of the 13 Mill Creek MetroParks employees who lost their jobs there as a result of a staff restructuring in February, nine have signed severance agreements with the board of park commissioners.
Still holding out are two former department heads – horticulture director Keith Kaiser and operations director Perry Toth – and former outdoor-education manager Ray Novotny.
The park district remains in negotiations with those three and their legal counsels, MetroParks Executive Director Aaron Young said. They have until April 21 to decide whether they will accept severance packages, or, in the cases of Toth and Novotny, transfer to other park jobs.
Records provided by the MetroParks indicate that the following employees have accepted severance packages: gardener Beth Molvin, construction crew supervisor Robert Carbon, ranger David Nelis; housekeeper Marie Ellsmore, development assistant Lanore Jones, ranger Vince Thomas, custodian/vehicle washer Thomas Chizmar, forestry supervisor James Brammer and shop supervisor Dennis Fahndrich.
Former plant curator Ellen Speicher did not sign an agreement, said Kevin Smith, park administrative director and treasurer.
No one who was offered the chance to transfer to another position has done so.
Those positions, in addition to seven others that were unfilled, were eliminated as part of an internal reorganization plan implemented, MetroParks officials say, to shore up a projected capital-improvement shortfall over the next 15 years. The staff restructuring is projected to save $13.2 million over that time period due to savings on wages and costs such as retirement and medical contributions.
THE OFFERS
The severance-agreement packages drawn up by the MetroParks offered to all affected employees compensation at their current rate of pay for a set time period.
Kaiser, Carbon, Fahndrich, Novotny, Toth and Brammer (who filled the full-time positions that were eliminated) were offered severance pay and continued health-insurance coverage for six months. The other (part-time) workers were offered compensation for a set number of hours through dates in May.
Chizmar will receive compensation for 296 hours through May 6; Thomas for 318 hours through May 12; Jones for 287 hours through May 12; Ellsmore for 195 hours through May 17; Nelis for 295 hours through May 6; and Molvin for 327 hours through May 13.
Speicher was offered payment for 173 hours through May 12.
Young stated that part-time workers at many other organizations likely would not receive severance offers, but, “We were happy to provide them with three-month severance packages.”
In addition to severance pay, Kaiser, Carbon, Fahndrich, Novotny, Toth and Brammer were offered separation pay for “any unused but accrued vacation and compensatory time to the employee’s credit and any other separation pay due under the employer’s current policies,” according to the agreements.
All agreements include a mutual waiver/release from “all claims, demands, causes of action, losses and expenses of every nature whatsoever, known or unknown, arising up to and including the date on which the employee executes this agreement, including but not limited to any claims arising out of or in connection with his employment with the employer.” That clause notes the employee waives their right “to pursue any and all claims under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act.”
NO DISPARAGEMENT
Also in the agreements is a nondisparagement/nondisclosure clause that reads: “Without limiting the employer’s responsibility to respond to a public records request, the employer will not negatively speak about the employee. Employee understands and further agrees not to do or say anything to disparage the employer, its officers, agents, executors, administrators, assigns, employees, and advisers or harm the reputation enjoyed by the employer, its officers, agents, executors, administrators, assigns, employees, and advisors. Employee will also only discuss the contents of this agreement with his spouse, accountant, and/or legal counsel.”
Five affected employees – Brammer, Toth, Carbon, Fahndrich and Novotny – were offered the opportunity to transfer to another park position.
Toth, Carbon and Fahndrich were offered full-time maintenance supervisor positions at a pay rate of $16.88 per hour; Brammer was offered a full-time skilled-maintenance position at a pay rate of $17.73 per hour.
“These affected employees were provided options, and up until now they have all chosen the severance as opposed to the other positions that were offered to them,” said Young. Novotny and Toth are still in talks with the MetroParks.
Young said the park district was not required to offer severance packages, “but we chose to offer them to employees because of what we know people experience as part of an internal reorganization.”
The MetroParks sought to provide affected employees “with as many options as possible,” Young said. “I feel that the park was generous in providing these options, and we’re hoping to see the process to completion.”
Another option for Novotny – volunteering at the park in a naturalist emeritus role, as his predecessor Bill Whitehouse did – remains unsettled. Novotny brought up the issue to the park board at its last meeting, taking it to task for what he said was a failure on the part of park leadership to deliver on a promise that he could act in that role.
Young declined to comment on the status of that request “due to the fact that Ray has legal counsel, as do we.”