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Amid the ongoing game of political football that has defined negotiations over how to close the gap in the city's looming budget hole, one voice has been remarkably absent: city workers who would bear the brunt of the mayor's economic sanctions. That silence was broken yesterday as SEIU Local 73 members descended on the city council meeting to vent their anger at both the city and the union. Workers are angry at the city for forcing layoffs on them, and at their union for not accepting furlough days. “We will take the [furlough] days. We will make the adjustments. But somehow people are demanding something that we haven’t demanded,” detention aide John Joynter told the Sun-Times. “We are not being represented by either the city or the union. We have not had a voice in any of this. It’s like we’re pushed aside.”
Civilian police employees, like detention aides, crossing guards and traffic control workers will make up a sizable portion of the nearly 1,500 employees that will be removed from the city payroll. “They want to put more police officers on the street. How are you going to do that? If you take the detention aides out, you must put someone in that position,” detention aide Joe Campbell said. “No one wants to see police come off the street and then work in jobs that civilians have had. Everyone is trying to strive to have more police on the street. We all see what’s happening every day as it relates to crime and violence,” 29th Ward Alderman and Police Committee Chair Isaac Carothers said. Noting that the city council has no role in negotiations, he told workers “You are represented by your union leadership. They negotiate with the city.”
Matt Brandon, secretary-treasurer of Local 73 told the Sun-Times that he realizes the membership will take the furlough days. But he also said that the union wants nearly $4 million in raises that are due to city workers, retroactive to 2007. “We want that to be retro-fitted to those furlough days. In other words, 16 furlough days minus $3.8 million. Now, how many furlough days?” he said. Layoffs are set to take effect on July 15.
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Oh, whatever! I'm a City employee (non-union) and it's never occurred to me that I have some kind of "say" in furlough days, layoff, etc. Just like thousands of other employers nationwide, the City needs to make cuts, and it will make cuts! We just wish council would vote on it soon (June 30), so that we can start taking our 17 days off in the summer, and not wait until winter...
Oh, whatever! I'm a City employee (non-union) and it's never occurred to me that I have some kind of "say" in furlough days, layoff, etc. Just like thousands of other employers nationwide, the City needs to make cuts, and it will make cuts! We just wish council would vote on it soon (June 30), so that we can start taking our 17 days off in the summer, and not wait until winter...
Man I bet the mayor is working day and night to...what was that? The Olympics you say? Switzerland you say? Is he...really? No rush then? Well that's leadership in action.
In other city skullduggery, apparently in selling the meters our city council of twits also sold the STREETS.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/23/city-leased-the-streets-a_n_219590.html
So all the cyclists, pedestrians and CTA riders are going to get boned right along with the driving population as any city street project gets borked.
Pitchforks and torches time?
"Pitchforks and torches time?"
It has been for quite a while. Still, nothing happens unless it happens in the office of the US Attorney for the northern district of Illinois, it seems. The damage the Machine and its allies have done to this city--and, more importantly, the local electoral process--will take at least a generation to undo (and that's without the Olympics).
Yeah, basically giving power over city traffic to a private company sure is wise, isn't it? Fools and cowards, our leaders are, and utterly shameless.
I was kind of stunned to hear Dan Proft, a conservative republican gubernatorial candidate talking quite a bit of sense about Illinois government. One point he made that struck me, the system exists now mainly to perpetuate itself. The city could burn to the ground, as long as we get the Olympics. We protect clout and patronage jobs and lose great teachers. Good cops can't get promoted, while cops with rap sheets linger like bad smells. The game is fixed.
People would be angrier if their cable went out than if their government is robbing them blind and chiseling away at their liberty. And those in power know this, which should terrify anyone with a lick of common sense.
Indeed, and Proft is part of the perpetuating itself, if you look at his bullshit PR contracts with Cicero. Ironic or brilliant? You decide.
As for me, I wouldn't trust Proft more than I would the average bank robber.
Oddly, this protest was the most work some City workers had done in several years.