Morning News Brief
Written by Tom Tharp on October 12, 2022
A union at the University of Rochester and University of Rochester Medical Center has set a date for a possible strike. Members say if they don’t have an agreement in place by eight-30 a-m on October 24th they will walk off the job. Negotiations on a new contract started back in June, but WHEC reports a vote on a deal was turned down by the union last month. University of Rochester officials say there is a plan in place to make sure research, teaching, and patient care isn’t interrupted if there is a strike.
The Rochester Police Accountability Board is trying to get acting manager Duwaine Bascoe fired and replaced. In a letter sent Tuesday to the PAB and city council, 17 staff members list several demands including that acting manager Duwaine Bascoe be terminated, and replaced by associate general counsel Anthony Durwin. They also call for a “firing freeze” and for people who resigned or were fired under Bascoe’s leadership to be offered their jobs back. They allege 15% of the PAB’s staff members left or were fired under Bascoe’s leadership. The Board has been embroiled in scandal and accusations of being useless and not having a purpose since its inception. The PAB has a five million dollar budget and was approved by voters in 2019. It has yet to issue any disciplinary recommendations for police accountability. The staff members who are calling for the firing are also saying they want to form a union. No one knows what their demands will be as they haven’t done any work yet.
Fentanyl is a major threat to communities and state and local leaders are coming together to warn citizens about it. Drugs such as meth and cocaine are being spiked with fentanyl which can lead to overdoses on the first use even if it small. Erie County Health Commissioner Gale Burstein says, “there is no safe drug.” Most recently, rainbow fentanyl, a type of the drug packaged to look like candy, was detected not too far from WNY in Monroe County. In the WNY area, according to Burstein, blue, yellow and green colored pills have been found within the past year. Since last year there have been nearly 550 overdose deaths in Erie county. There have been hundreds of thousands in the US since January. Overdosing is now the leading cause of death in people 18 to 45.
The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles is reminding drivers that if the license plates on their vehicles are peeling, they can be replaced free of charge. The DMV Commissioner says anyone who has a peeling plate is at risk of getting ticketed and having to pay a fine. To have your plate replaced with the next available standard plate number, email the DMV with information including your name as it appears on your registration, address, city, state, ZIP code, phone number, peeling plate number and a photograph of the plates. A new registration/windshield sticker will be mailed along with the new plates.
Alabama Hotel is hosting a benefit fundraiser October 19th from 4 to 8pm for an Oakfield woman who has a rare form of cancer. 46 year old Carrie Desjardins has intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and is taking chemotherapy. Judy Gilbert is planning the benefit which will include a basket raffle, a bake sale, side raffles and 50/50 drawings.
The Strong National Museum of Play is turning 40! Wednesday marks four decades since the museum opened in downtown Rochester. The museum will celebrate with free train and carousel rides, party hats, a birthday tea party, a photo booth, birthday card crafts and more. The celebration runs from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., though the museum will be open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
A new proposal from the Labor Department could help millions of gig workers to be classified as employees instead of independent contractors. That would guarantee them minimum wage pay and overtime. Many gig workers such as rideshare drivers don’t want the change, saying that being able to pick their hours and use their gig jobs as supplemental income and not a standard part time job would be threatened by the proposal. The new rule would lower the bar for being classified as an employee from the previous rules set during the Trump administration.
