Where do you stand on the Policemans' Union Benefit contract? (city hall, construction)

[Bo]

Originally Posted by Slowpoke_TX

When all city employees face the same risks as police officers and firefighters, then they can demand the same pay and benefits as police officers and firefighters.

By that logic, zookeepers and garbage collectors should be paid the most. Zookeepers because they are the only employees who face daily the risk of being harmed by wild animals and garbage collectors (pre-robotic collection) because they were the city employees who had the most on-the-job injury claims.

I already refuted the apples-to-oranges claim on Sculley's salary by pointing out the size of the city budget. And I didn't say she should be paid millions a year, just that someone who manages an operation with an annual budget in the billions deserves to be well-paid. If you want a bargain city employee, check out what the mayor and council make. If those grossly-underpaid people who determine Sculley' salary think it's appropriate, IMO we should, too. And if we don't, we shouldn't have elected them.

[huckster]

Garbage collectors should be paid the most. Simply because without this service rats and diseases would be prevalent everywhere. The work of garbage collection is far undervalued. It is probably the most important job of all.
Waste Management was the first one to realize this and this company has profited tremendously by this...
Zookeepers do not protect the public interest as law enforcement officers do.
Neither do horse wranglers nor lion tamers.
Some of us went to college and took classes in sociology. Some of us did not and work in shipping and receiving or some other mundane position. Those who can remember this sociology class can perhaps remember that the value placed by society upon work is sometimes upside down with regard to its' intrinsic value.
Mr. Atkinson posed a question to we students in this class, a question which I remember very well for its' poignancy
" Whom is of more value to society, the garbage collector or the thrower of footballs on Sunday afternoon television? " What is the value of each ?
No one answered. The thrower of footballs is good for television ratings.
Without rubbish collectors societal structure would quickly collapse. Disease, rats and vermin and death would ensue quickly.
Without the throwers of footballs Sunday afternoons might be a little more mundane ....for football fanatics. Ratings would suffer and t.v sponsors would look for more fertile advertising ground to sow.
A cop is a very special person. Yes. Every time he dons that blue uniform, tin star and holster and gun. He is a representative of the people and seeks what is good for little kids, the elderly, rape victims, robbery victims and victims of plain domestic violence or just dealing with reckless drivers. Voluntarily putting themselves at risk because they want to help people. Righting what is wrong. Even sometimes are killed, shot in the face during high speed automobile chases while pursuing bank robbery "suspects". Lest we forget, where is his voice right now ?
These need to be separate, distinct, from other city employees.

Originally Posted by Bo

By that logic, zookeepers and garbage collectors should be paid the most. Zookeepers because they are the only employees who face daily the risk of being harmed by wild animals and garbage collectors (pre-robotic collection) because they were the city employees who had the most on-the-job injury claims.

I already refuted the apples-to-oranges claim on Sculley's salary by pointing out the size of the city budget. And I didn't say she should be paid millions a year, just that someone who manages an operation with an annual budget in the billions deserves to be well-paid. If you want a bargain city employee, check out what the mayor and council make. If those grossly-underpaid people who determine Sculley' salary think it's appropriate, IMO we should, too. And if we don't, we shouldn't have elected them.

[Deep Forest]

The only thing that bothers me was the accusations about SAPD officers were taking relatives kids to health care providers and passing them off as their own so as to get them "free" health care. Gr-r-rr. Anyone caught doing that should receive a suspension, second offense...fired. I also think that they should pay a small portion of their insurance cost...after the first year they make enough to do it. The sharing has been applied to federal health care benefits and big business....nothing is 100% coverage anymore.

[L210]

Originally Posted by Slowpoke_TX

When all city employees face the same risks as police officers and firefighters, then they can demand the same pay and benefits as police officers and firefighters.

It's supply and demand. Their jobs might be dangerous, but there are thousands of qualified applicants. You don't need a college degree or experience to become a police officer with SAPD or firefighter with SAFD.

[ShadoAngel]

I didn't notice Sculley volunteering to take a cut to her massive salary in order to offset what she claims is an unsustainable budget. The woman's a hypocrite.

Right. Because cutting her salary by $100k will balance a $2.4 billion dollar budget.

2,400,000,000
_____100,000

Yeah, that'll help.

I honestly don't get why everyone mentions her salary so much. She's managing a city with thousands of employees and a budget of billions of dollars. Do we really want someone incompetent and underpaid to handle that? Is a city manager only charging $200k going to be substantially better than her? Her pay, from what I understand, is in line with other city's of our size - she's not over or underpaid.

[Slowpoke_TX]

Originally Posted by ShadoAngel

Her pay, from what I understand, is in line with other city's of our size - she's not over or underpaid.

That is the same thought process that got Wolff and Castro on the streetcar bandwagon.

[Pancho-Villa]

As long as it never comes to fruition, who cares?

[TexasRedneck]

Each line item should stand on its' own merit. To evaluate cost/benefit they should consider comparable salaries paid elsewhere - but that should NOT be a justification for pay raises/cuts, IMO. Someone sweeping a floor in 100+ degree heat (or sub-zero temperature) SHOULD be paid a bit more than those doing so in an office.

And IMO, a garbage collector - while VERY necessary - isn't facing the loss of his LIFE, or his personal assets - during the course of his job. A LEO that makes a poor decision in the heat of the moment CAN be sued for that decision, risking jail time and/or personal lawsuits that can take away everything he owns. Are they all perfect? Of course not - and those that cross the line SHOULD be punished - but 98% of us have little appreciation for just what they risk when they put that uniform on, believe me.

When we encounter a jerk in our daily jobs, we can walk away - even tell them off. A cop can't do that - he's expected to remain calm and deal with the jerk (who is intentionally TRYING to tick him off) in a "professional" manner. And when we run away from a dangerous situation, we expect HIM to run TO it, protecting us with his very life.......and if in the process he accidentally somehow "violates" the offenders rights, he's in serious trouble.

[huckster]

Elucidating posting. All quite true. It can sometimes be quite a tightrope walk for a LEO.

Originally Posted by TexasRedneck

Each line item should stand on its' own merit. To evaluate cost/benefit they should consider comparable salaries paid elsewhere - but that should NOT be a justification for pay raises/cuts, IMO. Someone sweeping a floor in 100+ degree heat (or sub-zero temperature) SHOULD be paid a bit more than those doing so in an office.

And IMO, a garbage collector - while VERY necessary - isn't facing the loss of his LIFE, or his personal assets - during the course of his job. A LEO that makes a poor decision in the heat of the moment CAN be sued for that decision, risking jail time and/or personal lawsuits that can take away everything he owns. Are they all perfect? Of course not - and those that cross the line SHOULD be punished - but 98% of us have little appreciation for just what they risk when they put that uniform on, believe me.

When we encounter a jerk in our daily jobs, we can walk away - even tell them off. A cop can't do that - he's expected to remain calm and deal with the jerk (who is intentionally TRYING to tick him off) in a "professional" manner. And when we run away from a dangerous situation, we expect HIM to run TO it, protecting us with his very life.......and if in the process he accidentally somehow "violates" the offenders rights, he's in serious trouble.

[need4speed2012]

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