A little more information
Sorry but I have not had computer access all day. I have a little more information regarding layoffs. I decided to contact the one and only person on the Fifth Floor who doesn’t lie to me more than tell me he truth to get his take on it. He said that layoffs are not currently on the table. He also said they would dip into reserves before there would be layoffs but he could not rule them out forever. Obviously we don’t know where the state or the economy is going.
I also tracked down two sources of the rumors. Nancy Swanson apparently suggested it at a stand up last month. Also apparently those bargaining team members close to Chicken Man were told by him during negotiations to expect layoffs around July 2009.
I absolutely believe my source in the CAOs office that plans for layoffs and/or furloughs have been made by the CAOs office but I also believe they have not been presented to the BOS. In all honesty considering the current financial circumstances I think those type of discussions and plans are prudent. My bigger problem is with Chicken Man selling us down the river which is exactly why SBPEA needs to be decertified and an international union needs to be brought in to represent us.
As to the possibility of furloughs I forgot to ask. Here is a question because of the change in the language of the MOU but I haven’t had time o research it yet. I can tell you this and that is the last time layoffs were a possibility employees made it clear to sbpea that we wanted furloughs. Petitions were signed and presented to them and they ignored our request. Furloughs were very popular with employees but the union has always preferred layoffs.
I will get you more info as soon as I have a chance.
December 4th, 2008 at 10:22 am
Management and the public need to understand beforehand that any reduction in staff will be accompanied by a proportionate reduction in services. If they think they are going to reduce our salary by 10-20 pecent, and increase our productivity to make up the difference, they need to get that out of their heads now. We’ve already sacrificed enough by ratifying the last miserly contract, in order to “PREVENT” layoffs. Hell, I’m already working for about 60-70 percent of my worth, and if anyone believes that I’ll continue to do the same job for less money, they’re dreaming.
Employees need to be united on this, regardless of what the association does. The association can not initiiate a work action, but employees can do so independently. The day furloughs or layoffs are anounced, we need to make it clear that things will not be completed on time, and insist that our responsibilities be prioritized, with the understanding that some things will not get done. Mangement must be forced to state these priorities, and if they refuse, I’ll spend all day on what I believe is the LEAST important assignment until they do.
If the county didn’t waste money on ridiculous projects or lawsuit settlements, we’d have plenty of cash. The economy is down, but the responsibilty to prepare for the downturn belonged to the BOS and CAO. If they failed to do so, it’s their problem, not ours. If it becomes our problem, we need to make it the public’s problem. The buck does not stop with us, regardless of public perception. The chant “You’re lucky to even have a job” my apply to some, but not to most. The county is damn lucky to have ME, and I’m not going to put up with this BS forever.
My job isn’t charity. I earn every cent, and will NOT continue to cheat myself out of my deserved livelyhood due to the mistakes made by people “earning” hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. The public elected these idiots, and now they need to suffer the consequences.
Don’t get me wrong, I know I work for the public, and want to do right by them. Unfortunately, county administration is preventing my from doing that.
December 4th, 2008 at 11:27 am
The Chicken and SBPEA Board should not be preferring or advocating layoffs over furloughs. If this has in fact been a previously stated objective, they are not representing the best interest of their membership. This would impact all of their representative groups because it is a well known fact that furloughs and attrition by retirement are where the most savings can be realized with a minimal impact on the employees. This is obviously a political position that they have developed along with the County negotiators. This is not considered negotiating in good faith. If you are already involved in negotiations for the next contract there is no time/ way to switch horses mid-stream that I could imagine. I expect that the real push to change your representation won’t occur until after the current SBPEA representatives sell you down the river (again).
December 4th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
Current management trends are all dictated by perceptions. If they feel there may be animosity towards “lazy government slackers” with cushy jobs and wondrous benefit packages, they will sell us out to stave off that perception being realized (putting them under the lens) . Our response should be as CS stated: no additional work for the same pay. And the union needs to support that premise.
If anything should go in this County, it is the overhead. Time for the Mangers to take on a little more work load, the Sups to take on more staff, and SBPEA to defer 20% of our union dues so struggling employees can deal with the economic downturn. You know fuel prices will spike again, travel cost will skyrocket, merchandise will see price increases, and our meager raises will not help one iota in keeping up with those costs. Then, when Arnie and the State legislature hit our wallets to bail out patently idiotic spending practices, I can see our own employees signing up for the same aid programs we administer.
Time to turn the sheep into wolves. No more take-aways; no more employees bearing the burdens of the County mismanagement staff.
December 5th, 2008 at 1:34 am
I started with the county on 10/31/94 and soon after finishing the 6 month probation for my classification, the furloughs started. My old pay stubs show furlough minus amounts from pay days 7/19/95 to 12/18/96. A furlough bank was created in order to spread the pain from take away dollars evenly over the pay days. At least once since then the choice was made to skip furloughs and layoff staff. I vaguely remember reading there was language in our MOU regarding short-time furloughs, but it had been taken out. Tonight I searched our MOU for the word furlough, but the total number of incidences found was zero. As furloughs are only effective if the amounts for the necessary cuts are relatively small, my guess conditions will get so severe the choice will again be layoffs.
Additional note: Even though my county department gets its funds from the federal government, not from the county general funds, we were included in the 95/96 furloughs. Many times over the last 14 years I have had to bite my tongue to stop me from saying some policy doesn’t make any sense. Hey I work for the government and should have learned by now much of what we are told to do, not do by management doesn’t make any sense. For example I work for a department whose goal is suppose to be helping people get reemployed (see below). As a personal customer service project I created a webpage with hundreds of job related hyperlinks job seekers can use and did a group e-mail to my department letting everyone know it was available to staff and their unemployed customers (at http://www.r-a-l-p-h.com/job-seeking.htm). As expected I got lots of compliments from line staff, but I was surprised to get a complaint from management. I was told I didn’t have the authority to do a group e-mail. Silly me, trying to notify everyone in my Workforce Development Department, created with the goal of helping people get reemployed, of this new job seeking resource. Included in management’s complaint was the objection my name is on my website webpage. Huh, say what? Hey, I can’t take credit for my creation?
December 5th, 2008 at 8:46 am
Now that Ralph mentions it, I believe the furlogh language was remove one or two contracts ago. Layoffs are now the only option.
December 5th, 2008 at 11:34 am
Boy if your contract is exclusive to layoffs for a remedy to combat budget shortfalls, SBPEA and County administration have already sold the employees (way) down the river.
December 5th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
One good thing about govt employment … senority is EVERYTHING!!!
December 5th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
Lifer, as a current private business person and ex-public employee, I worship the ground you walk upon!!!!!
December 5th, 2008 at 9:34 pm
The reason why the Furlough language was removed from the MOU was due to a “fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me” situation.
The County implemented furloughes claiming poverty while the CAO and the other big shots were taking bribes and payoffs. So, the SBPEA and employee consensus was NEVER AGAIN trust the County!!!
Let us just hope that SBPEA and the employees do NOT forget that lesson.
December 5th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
Yep, a search of our present MOU for the word furlough shows total instances as zero while for the words layoff and layoffs show total instances as a whopping 34 times. Knowing how willing SBPEA’s Chicken Man was the last time in negotiating for a fair MOU contract (at this point play the Laughing Out Loud tape) we know how hard he will fight for furloughs instead when the county says layoffs are pending. Chicken Man’s major complaint will be losing $240 association dues per year per county employee that will be laid off.
December 6th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
To heck with furloughs. Cut out the departments that bleed this county dry; sheriff and fire. No more OT guys. Oops, that was rather unpopular. And by God, if we want to help the automobile industry lets ‘86 motor pool! Anyone seen the cost of gas or lease prices we get charged! Oooh, and how about Parks and Rec. Privatize the entertainment portions and use a profit sharing scheme to have facilities do repair. Oh, and to heck with Libraries. Print is dead, use Google. And I know for sure we could privatize IT. (Anybody really happy with there work computer, network access, email, etc.) Oh, and I can tell the roads people haven’t been on the job. Drove around Phelan last week. Oh, and do we really need County Council? Has anyone ever seen them do anything? Let’s just hire a firm when we need them. Axe the 4th flloor, and we can save millions. Hell just look at the colonies deal. Oh wait, that was Biane and Billy Bob.
Wow, this is fun. Let’s keep those ideas rolling on in. Let’s help Mark and the BOS keep our surplus and get rid of those pesky County employees.