You Call This A Middle Class?

[d-ray657]

Originally Posted by 4-2-7

Thats because the Unions of yesteryear were good for the worker.
Today their just a piece of shit job killing organization. That cripple states and cities driving them to bankruptcy. All the while fucking there members for political power.

Where do you get you information about the activities of labor organizations? I see on a daily basis the contractual rights that union members enjoy compared to the circumstances of individuals who are at the mercy of their employers' whims because of their at-will employment relationships.

Regards,

D-Ray

[BlueStreak]

Sorry, but it's an emotional subject for me. I've personally witnessed some things that run contrary to the rainbows and unicorns, "all unions are bad" view of the employer/employee relationship that so many conservatives have these days.

It's unrealistic and foolish, IMO.

Dave

[4-2-7]

Originally Posted by BlueStreak

Sorry, but it's an emotional subject for me. I've personally witnessed some things that run contrary to the rainbows and unicorns, "all unions are bad" view of the employer/employee relationship that so many conservatives have these days.

It's unrealistic and foolish, IMO.

Dave

Well thats why I wanted to look it up to see what your referring to that gauges your opinion.

[donquixote99]

Never respond, never respond, never, never, never.

[4-2-7]

Essentially, the city plan has put pension debt off the table, arguing that pension payments and benefits cannot legally be touched. A bankruptcy would be the place to challenge that assumption, but Stockton officials have no interest in doing so, figuring it’s easier to go after Wall Street than the unions. If Stockton gets its way, then cities can spend anything on pensions and there is no way to ever get out from under that debt.

Some of the most telling testimony came Tuesday morning, when bond-insurer Assured Guaranty’s attorney Guy Neal questioned city councilmember Kathy Miller about a July 2012 video that explained the fiscal situation to city residents. Here are some of her statements from the video:

“In the 1990s, Stockton granted its employees some of the most generous and unsustainable labor contracts in the State of California… Safety employees could now retire at the age of 50 …. . Many safety retirees today earn 90 to 100 percent of what they made when they were still on the job.”

That’s common. But Miller noted that “Stockton went even further than most other cities and granted things like unlimited vacation and sick time that could be cashed out when an employee retired, and added pay categories for almost everything imaginable… Our public safety employees were costing us on average more than $150,000 a year each. That’s three times more than most of us in Stockton make in a year.”

She described the “Lamborghini” health plan the city’s employees received: “This was free medical care for a retiree and a dependent for the rest of their lives. No co-pays, no generic requirements, no HMOs, and no premiums. See any doctor, stay in any hospital, purchase any drug, and just send the bill to the city of Stockton.”

Absurd pay and benefits are common, and not just in Stockton. San Francisco Chronicle columnists Matier and Ross revealed recently that the Alameda County executive receives a $423,000 a year pay package for life. Compensation for California firefighters is in the $175,000 a year range. Some Newport Beach lifeguards receive $200,000 a year pay packages. As a friend of mine joked, revolutions have been fought over lesser instances of public pilfering.
http://www.humanevents.com/2013/03/2...f-union-greed/

[finnbow]

Originally Posted by 4-2-7

Essentially, the city plan has put pension debt off the table, arguing that pension payments and benefits cannot legally be touched. A bankruptcy would be the place to challenge that assumption, but Stockton officials have no interest in doing so, figuring it’s easier to go after Wall Street than the unions. If Stockton gets its way, then cities can spend anything on pensions and there is no way to ever get out from under that debt...

A similar situation, though not as abusive, existed until recently in my county. Police officer pay and benefits are very high, but the kicker was that nearly all were able to retire on full disability (nearly full pay) after 25 years. The WashPost had a deep expose of the system, finding countless cases of "disabled" retired officers working full time in the construction/remodeling industry. It took the Post expose and years of subsequent public pressure before the council was willing even to address the problem. Then the police succeeded in getting a ballot measure to override the council's needed action. Thankfully, it lost (in a strongly Democratic county).

[bobabode]

Human Events? A subsidiary of Eagle Publications. Pardon me if I take a pass on an op ed from such folk. Check out their home page.

[4-2-7]

Originally Posted by bobabode

Human Events? A subsidiary of Eagle Publications. Pardon me if I take a pass on an op ed from such folk. Check out their home page.

Hey you live here I'm not even looking at who provided the article there is tons of them.

[bobabode]

Originally Posted by 4-2-7

Hey you live here I'm not even looking at who provided the article there is tons of them.

Sure you are.

[4-2-7]

Originally Posted by finnbow

A similar situation, though not as abusive, existed until recently in my county. Police officer pay and benefits are very high, but the kicker was that nearly all were able to retire on full disability (nearly full pay) after 25 years. The WashPost had a deep expose of the system, finding countless cases of "disabled" retired officers working full time in the construction/remodeling industry. It took the Post expose and years of subsequent public pressure before the council was willing even to address the problem. Then the police succeeded in getting a ballot measure to override the council's needed action. Thankfully, it lost (in a strongly Democratic county).

Don't forget all the...
Double Dipping