Union Opposes Planned Closure of Westfield Motor Vehicle Inspection Station

The union representing state motor vehicle inspectors is opposing a plan to close the motor vehicle inspection station in Westfield.

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) staged simultaneous rallies at the Westfield, Delanco and Bridgeton stations Tuesday to protest the cuts, which are the result of a change in the state’s contract with Parsons, the private firm the state contracts with to run motor vehicle inspection stations. The three stations are scheduled to close on May 1.

The Westfield rally, which took place outside the two-lane facility on South Avenue, was cut short by the weather. The small crowd decided to start earlier than the scheduled noon start and ended before noon due to blustery rain and wind. A spectator noted that rally participants were having trouble holding up signs in the rain.

Sam Ventola, a representative of SEIU Local 518 and the rally organizer, said the union is looking to prevent the cuts to save the jobs of union members and to deal with what he described as a customer service issue.

“We’re here to try to save the jobs that are here,” he said. “When this station closes, the employees here will be laid off. There is no place for them to go.”

Ventola, a motor vehicle inspector in Randolph, said the union is also concerned that Union County residents would need to head to inspection stations in Rahway or Plainfield if the Westfield facility is closed. Ventola said that the union anticipates longer lines at the other two facilities, noting that Parsons is also cutting evening hours and limited hours to weekdays and Saturdays. He noted that some would not be able to get to an inspection station due to work conflicts.

He said the other option would be to have a car inspected by a private mechanic, which he said would cost $85 instead of having the cost built into vehicle registration fees when performed by the state. 

“No one seems to care about the public,” Ventola said. “Some people don’t care, but people will have to need to travel to have an inspection and gas is $3.15 a gallon.”

Ventola contested claims that the state could save money by shuttering the three inspection facilities, arguing that New Jersey would still need to provide unemployment benefits to those who lose their jobs from the closures. He said that he does not see Parsons shifting the workers to another station and that many do not have skill sets that can be transferred out of the motor vehicle inspection business.

Parsons spokesman Michael Turner said the decision to close the Westfield station came down to dollars and cents, noting that the state has changed the types of services Parsons is being asked to perform. He noted that last year, Gov. Chris Christie's administration changed state motor vehicles policy to remove safety inspections and limit inspections to the emissions, along with changing the length of time between inspections. 

Following this, Parsons began to negotiate the contract with the state Motor Vehicle Commission.

“It is one of the lowest-volume stations in the network,” Turner said of the Westfield station. “We had proposed as a cost savings, resulting from the desire of the state to cut back the scope of services Parsons performs for the state’s motor vehicle population.”

Turner said of the 29 motor vehicle inspection stations statewide, Westfield ranks 25th in volume. He said that in 2010, Westfield processed 29,691 vehicles, compared to 77,492 in Rahway and 82,146 at the Kilmer station in Edison. The Westfield station is a two lane station on South Avenue.

“It’s 40-percent of Rahway and the high 30-percent range of Kilmer as far as test volume,” Turner said.

Turner said no decision has been made on the fate of the Westfield station employees. He said the employees were given a notice that a potential layoff could occur in 30 days, which is a provision of the contract the SEIU negotiated with Parsons. He said the company is still finalizing future inspection plans, including having conversations with the MVC regarding services.

“We have not officially declared that they will officially be laid off or not,” Turner said. “We need to figure out the ultimate plan.”

While Ventola focused on the mix of the impact on the union employees in the Westfield shop and the customer service impact, the state SEIU kept the focus on the environment.

“Closing inspection stations is unfair to New Jersey drivers, taxpayers and the inspection workers who have made sure drivers are treated fairly and that the cars on our roads aren’t overly polluting our air," Kevin Brown, New Jersey State Director for 32BJ SEIU, said in a statement. “Drivers will have to travel much farther to reach another state inspection station or go to private operators where they pay for emissions testing and might be talked into unneeded repairs."