OGDENSBURG -- Newly appointed St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center Task Force member Ernie LaBaff says North Country jobs will be lost when the state downsizes SLPC.

LaBaff is President (Emeritus) Aluminum Brick & Glass Workers International. He said claims that St. Lawrence County’s workforce will be unaffected by the states plan to reform its mental health operations are unfounded.

"I am deeply dismayed at the decision of New York State concerning the St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center," he said in a released statement. "I want someone to explain to me how you can close six wards and do away with inpatient care and still maintain 525 jobs."

LaBaff said the number of jobs will be reduced through attrition and others will be shipped outside of the area.

"What I see happening is that people will retire or their jobs will be moved to other parts of the State and the number 525 will diminish very quickly," he said. "This still leaves us with a loss of jobs due to those retirements and reassignments. For Albany to say that it believes that by relocating services to another area in the State it has created a fair plan is ludicrous."

LaBaff said employees aren't the only people who will suffer as the state reduces the number of hospitals and establishes "Regional Centers of Excellence."

"We’re going to have people in Northern New York that need these services that don’t have money or cars to make those trips downstate to obtain the services that should be available to them locally. We also don’t have the highways and we don’t have a 4-lane interstate that we dearly need to help the people of Northern New York having a need for these services."

LaBaff said people must demand that St. Lawrence County Psychiatric Center continues its current operations.

"We should not be lulled to sleep by believing that those jobs are safe and that we should reduce our efforts to save the psychiatric center. If anything, we should demand that Albany leaves the SLCPC as it is. I would also call upon my brothers and sisters in labor to stay alert because I believe that under the State’s plan, we will not be able to maintain 525 jobs," he said, "We need more in the North Country, not less. We are the North County, not Upstate New York. We suffer from lower household incomes and higher poverty levels than anywhere else in the State. Removing jobs and healthcare services from this area only adds to our problems."

LaBaff said St. Lawrence County and other parts of the North Country already suffer from low unemployment and people must rally to ensure more jobs aren't lost

"Once again, it’s time for Northern New York to stand up and fight to save these important jobs. The North Country has suffered great job losses, both union and non-union, and enough is enough. I ask that everyone in the North County rally to support the efforts of the St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center Task Force."