Crisis in Costa Mesa (Paradise: city hall, layoffs, bankruptcy)

[Gurbie]

I'm re-posting this, because I accidently stuck it in the wrong forum yesterday:

The City of Costa Mesa has issued lay-off notices to HALF its workforce. The city plans to "privatise" these jobs.

Huy Pham, 27, a four-year member of the Maintenance Dept, lept to his death from the fifth floor of City Hall when he got his pink slip.

Mayor Monahan observed the occasion by heading over to his bar (where he is the owner) to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.

Guess we don't have to look all the way to Wisconsin to find anti-union thugs trying to turn civilized societies into third world corporate playgrounds. It is happening right in our backyard.

The "Slash-o-nomics" gang, with their new-found and highly selective frugality, is coming after the last good jobs in America. If we're not careful, we are going to wind up living in a GOP Paradise, with a few thousand plutocrats and 320,000,000 serfs.

Costa Mesa Layoffs: Hundreds Remember Costa Mesa Worker Who Killed Himself After Layoff - ktla.com[/quote]

[Charles]

Normal, mentally healthy people do not commit suicide after a being laid off.

If the jobs are privatized, doesn't that mean the jobs aren't going away and that they are just being converted to private instead of govy jobs?

[SportyandMisty]

Sounds wonderful. Former public employees can compete for their old jobs in the private sector, can compete & excel & have great job satisfaction in the private sector.

[Fontucky]

They're going to privatize the fire dept?

[pacific2]

Originally Posted by Charles

If the jobs are privatized, doesn't that mean the jobs aren't going away and that they are just being converted to private instead of govy jobs?

Costa Mesa is outsourcing 18 city services and firing 213 employees (including 90 firefighters), but there’s no indication that the fired workers will necessarily be hired by the private contractors who win bids for the work.

[EscapeCalifornia]

I love the union mentality that assumes the city or company owes them a job forever. Sorry folks. Your union overreached and put every agency and municipality in the state on a collision course with bankruptcy. Now you cry when someone tries to avert the financial disaster your union created and from which you benefited. Boo F'ing Hoo.

[Vascodagama]

Sounds like the city government is making proper managerial actions to resolve severe budget constraints. Imagine that, they must not believe in the bailout fairy who will wave her wand and make all the troubles go away while they continue to spend money they don't have.

[MattClyde]

great I am glad Costa Mesa is doing this, less ridiculous payments and pensions for gov workers. Screw unions they are a major force in the ruining of California. That guy who committed suicide obviously had some mental issues because jumping off a building isn't a normal human response for getting laid off

[MIKEETC]

I don't think this employee's suicide and his pending layoff are directly linked, i.e. the man had other underlying issues.

[This incident is an isolated event and should not be used as a reason to not layoff people when necessary]

[Gurbie]

Originally Posted by SportyandMisty

Sounds wonderful. Former public employees can compete for their old jobs in the private sector, can compete & excel & have great job satisfaction in the private sector.

Sheeesh... everyone knows WHY there are "government jobs" in the first place, right? Why government workers are protected by civil service rules? How the recent trends portend a return to 19th Century patronage practices?

Not to mention the continued erosion and degradation of the middle class that will result from "privatization" (low pay-no benefits-no union) of formerly excellent jobs?