Juneteenth as a paid holiday for the members of city hall’s CSEA local remains a wish. A motion to grant the holiday failed Wednesday on a 2-2 vote of the Common Council.
Council President Kathyrn Fogle and 1st Ward Alderman John Craig voted in favor of granting an additional holiday to CSEA members. Casting the “no” votes were 5th Ward Alderman Margaret Lupo and 2nd Ward Alderman Anita Mullane.
Four “yes” votes were required for the motion to pass, and 3rd Ward Alderman Mark Devine and Alderman at Large Kevin Kirchberger were absent from the meeting.
A vote was held Wednesday after the motion had been withdrawn from the council’s agenda several times in March, April and May.
Mullane said her opposition to granting an extra holiday to CSEA workers is a matter of dollars and cents.
Had the request been granted, every other city employees’ union would seek the same.
“I’m going to be fiscally responsible, the city cannot afford this,” she said.
Previously, Mullane pointed out, the city’s AFSCME local secured Juneteenth as a paid holiday by giving up another holiday.
Lupo said she voted “no” because an estimate of the cost of granting the paid day off never was given.
“I can’t blindly follow, because I’m responsible to the tax payer,” she said.
Fogle said the cost would have been approximately $30,000, acknowledging she didn’t have an exact figure.
Still, she said, “It’s not a fiscal responsibility issue. (The employees) deserve to celebrate a holiday. They don’t ask for much.”
CSEA Western Region No. 6 spokesperson Sydney Thomas issued a statement criticizing Mullane and Lupo.
“CSEA’s belief is that no employee should have to make concessions to celebrate a significant historical holiday, unfortunately for Lockport workers, the city’s Democratic councilwomen believe in Juneteenth’s observation for me, but not for thee,” Thomas wrote.
Mayor John Lombardi III signed a Memorandum of Agreement granting CSEA members the Juneteenth holiday back in March, then backed away from it on the advice of city attorney David Blackley pending a review of city union contracts.
Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021. Celebrated on June 19, it commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.