[Tetto]

Originally Posted by MikefromCT

Ummmm, nobody is "boo-hooing" the loss of jobs so much as the fact that they're scaling back law enforcement in an already crime-infested area. That's what makes this so galling. IMO what would make more sense would be to do what Ed Koch did when the transport workers went on strike in the early '80s - he shot down the union and they gave in after two weeks. I would rather see THAT happen, JMHO.

Come on now! There's 458 cops in New Haven; you would have thought they eviscerated the dept by peoples reactions. Its only 16 people, no one is immune from the hard times.

[Astrid9]

I work a few blocks from City Hall and I could see the yelling and police cars when I took a walk - I didn't know what was going on at the time. In total the Mayor laid off 82 positions today, 16 of them police officers. I've been working here for awhile (but don't live here), and I just can't believe that in a city with as much crime as New Haven has that the police force is where they are making cuts. I know times are tough, but that is when crime is worse!

[jjinla]

You guys are blaming the wrong people. City Hall isn't the bad guy - the police union and their voting members are. They had a choice. Their choice, as always, was to give up nothing and either expect someone else to take the hit, or raise your taxes.

My father-in-law just retired as city manager of a medium-sized town. In the past year, EVERY city union member conceeded to pay and benefit cuts BUT police and firefighters. 10 of the top 10 pension collectors in his city are all police and firefighters. They started closing down parks, libraries, everything, and the public safety unions shrugged it all off.

The notion that city employees are underpaid might have been true years ago, but once collective bargaining was adopted, they kept their cushy benefit packages and yet increased their pay to far above average for the private sector. Something has to give. Look what's happening in Wisconsin. They are taking away collective bargaining from everyone BUT public safety. It's swung too far in the other direction now to where public safety are considered to be the holy grail. They are replaceable like most of us.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by jjinla

The notion that city employees are underpaid might have been true years ago.

The 16 rookies who were laid off made, on average, about $42k a year. Are you suggesting that's overpaid?

[jjinla]

No, but it's not underpaid, either, for an entry level position requiring no college degree with full benefits and retirement.

The bottom line is this, cities are broke. States are broke. The federal government is broke. Is there waste? Certainly. But since federal money dried up, states have less money, and as such have literally raided city coffers. They have cut millions in aid to all of the cities to be used in a variety of ways. A city can't print more money like the fed can. When it's gone, it's gone. And it is gone.

Everyone and everything is getting cut now. All have had the option to take pay cuts or layoffs. The police officer's choice was to lay off workers, leaving a city at increased risk, as well as their own force.

I'm not going to justify their greed by feeling bad for the 16 laid off employees. I'd be interested to know if those 16 voted yea or nea, though!

[samantha10]

Originally Posted by jjinla

Did the police union leave out the fact that the only reason they are laying off 16 people is because they were again unwilling to agree to a single cut in their bloated pay/benefits packages at a time when EVERYONE in the private sector is hurting?

I'm sick of hearing these "boo-hoo" stories about cops and firefighters. Do they do a noble job? Certainly. Does their union deserve to bankrupt a city? Absolutely not! I hope New Haven and all other cities like them file a chapter 9 to get rid of these unsustainable contracts once and for all.

They came out with the same rhetoric in Newark and yet somehow, the town hasn't burned down yet. Way to hold the lines, unions. Worked great for Chrysler and GM.

Are you kidding me???
I would LOVE to see you walk the beat in New Haven.
These officers deserve every penny that they get.
Your statements are making me ill

[jjinla]

While New Haven may indeed be a dangerous city, this story is playing over and over throughout the US. Would you feel the same if they were laying off 16 cops in Greenwich?

And what about the teachers that have to teach the unfortunate offspring of these criminals in dangerous towns? They deserve every penny, too. I'm not saying they don't do a noble job. I am saying that if you search other posts, you'll hear an earful about everyone NOT wanting their taxes to go up. So what do you propose they cut instead? Welfare? Education?

Nobody's job stinks any less than it did 3+ years ago, yet many of us are making far less than we did back then. The public sector is not immune.

[kidyankee764]

$42k is not underpaid to work in one of the most dangerous cities in the country? Man, you talk the talk, now walk the walk. It's not a pleasant city to work in, as you're risking your life every time you go on a call.

Originally Posted by jjinla

Everyone and everything is getting cut now. All have had the option to take pay cuts or layoffs. The police officer's choice was to lay off workers, leaving a city at increased risk, as well as their own force.

This shows that you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. If you look at the whole picture, they're in the process of creating a new city department that manages storm water runoff (among other things). Why should they agree to concessions when money is being liberally spent (arguably thrown away) on un-needed departments and programs? Bureaucratic waste. It's all about prioritizing, which the city obviously can't get straight.

You live in Mamaroneck - lucky you. Something tells me that if you lived in New Haven, or had any clue about the "goings on" in the city NUMEROUS times a day, you wouldn't be happy either.

Originally Posted by jjinla

Would you feel the same if they were laying off 16 cops in Greenwich?.

Seeing that Greenwich has been plagued by armed robberies lately, maybe. It's not all roses there, either.

[jjinla]

I haven't heard otherwise but if the officers agreed to equivalent pay cuts and furloughs, then I stand corrected and it would indeed be dumb for the council not to have OK'd it. This has not been the case lately in most other cities, though.

Sorry....rough week! After hearing about all of the massive proposed tax increases coming from both the federal and state government this week, my sympathy is pretty low for unions right now.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by jjinla

I haven't heard otherwise but if the officers agreed to equivalent pay cuts and furloughs, then I stand corrected and it would indeed be dumb for the council not to have OK'd it. This has not been the case lately in most other cities, though.

You're missing my point. There should not have been talk of concessions until the city government stops wasting money on useless things, that they CONTINUE to organize. If someone asked you to borrow money claiming they were broke right after they just financed a $700/month sleek Mercedes Benz, how would you react?