More than 100 union workers packed into Wednesday night's Bergen County freeholder meeting to protest 75 county government layoffs made last week.

Several of the employees – who will lose their jobs as of May 29 – attended Wednesday's meeting to publicly address the freeholders, who are now reviewing the county executive's budget proposal.

Daniel Kotkin, who runs two county programs – the Department of Human Services’ Personal Assistance Service Program and the Information and Referrals department – on one grant-funded salary, said he received a layoff notification.

“If I am laid off, quality services will be jeopardized,” he said. “Over the past 6½ years, I have helped thousands of people. … I hope you are able to save my job.”

Mark McCart, a labor relations representative for the United Service Workers Union, said Kotkin is being replaced by “someone with friends who are politically connected.”

McCart would not provide the name of the recently hired employee. Brian Hague, a spokesman for the county, said he did not know whether McCart’s remark was accurate.

Kenese Robinson, who has worked as a Cancer Coalition coordinator for the Department of Health Services for two years, questioned why the county recently hired a health services worker who earns more than twice her salary.

"We're not in lazy, overpaid, sucking-the-county-dry positions," she said. "There are positions where it's clear that people came there because they're politically affiliated. ... None of the political patronage jobs have been touched."

Gerry Drummond, president of Local 755 of the USW, which represents Robinson and other white-collar county employees, described the layoffs as "pure politics" and said the county administration never offered his union a deal in writing.

"One of the most troubling aspects of this layoff is they are laying experienced professional workers off while hiring inexperienced workers in the same offices," Drummond said.

County officials dismissed Drummond's claims. County Administrator Timothy Dacey said that people who receive notice that they are being laid off may not ultimately lose their jobs, because civil service "bumping" rights give senior workers the ability to take lower-paying positions.

"Gerry is running around amok, and he is creating havoc," Dacey said. "The people who got notice might not be laid off."

Dacey contends that Drummond has not reached out to him in recent weeks to negotiate a deal that could save county jobs.

"I haven't heard from the guy in a month," he said. "If he wants to make a proposal, make it. They didn't offer a penny."

In a budget presentation Friday, Dacey said the layoffs are a direct result of reduced county revenue from realty transfer fees. He said that 50 jobs could be saved if the blue- and white-collar unions agree to give back a 3.5 percent raise by July 1 and contribute 1.5 percent of their salary toward their health benefits as of January 2011.

Republican Freeholder Robert Hermansen faulted Dacey and the rest of Democratic County Executive Dennis McNerney's administration for approaching the cuts in the wrong way.

"This should have been across the board," he said. "The cops should have a pay freeze also. This should not just be a one or two union show."