Hoboken people blast Ravi Bhalla and his administration over its 26 layoffs

The Hudson County View covered the latest full out blast by Hoboken people and City employees for the layoffs of 26 of its members.

Hoboken’s dire financial situation continued to boil during Wednesday night’s city council meeting, with employees laying into the administration over 26 recent layoffs, which are expected to save the city $2.5 million annually.

As council members continued to debate what austerity measures should and should not be taken – with no budget formally introduced yet – Acting Business Administrator Jason Freeman said that the 26 layoffs announced last month would amount to annualized savings of $2.5 million, including pension and health insurance costs.

Of the 26 employees, 11 were laid off, while 15 took the option of an early retirement which some employees characterized as “forced.”

“The mayor has never spoken to any of us … I’ve been coming into work, doing my job, to only turn around to have to be laid off,” said Jennifer Boehm, a former customer service representative in the construction department.