Alright already! You can stop asking now!
For our faithful PRU readers and those who have asked --
Our smaller, more efficient City Council has opted to go into a holding pattern on some of the issues before them. The PRU Crew feels such a holding pattern is probably a good idea. For our part, we've been following the legislative updates on the Illinois Municipal League's website.
May 27, 2010
COW(Finance/P&R/PW) 5-24-2010 -- video!
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21 comments:
LOL. If you don't post every day what will people have to complain about?
Gotta love those complainers. As Voltaire said, the people in the free seats always boo the loudest.
M. Anderson,
I think the complaints here come from taxpayers so your idea about complaints from the "free seats" is empty rhetoric.
Anon. 7:14-
I was referring to the people who enjoy PRU, pay nothing for the privilege, and complain when what they see here doesn't suit them.
So, you see, my rhetoric is quite full.
But certainly it's true that since we are nearly all taxpayers, we have a right to beef all we like about our government in action (or inaction, as the case may be). As well we should.
M. Anderson,
I agree. We should complain when our government is wasting our money and PRU sure does that. Sometime PRU is harsh but at least this blog doesn't seem to have any hidden agendas or pretend to be unbiased.
Anon. 8:24-
Ever stop to think about how little most of us would know about what's going on around here if it weren't for PRU? Indeed, before PRU, folks relied on what they read in the local "newspapers" and on what their neighbors told them. PRU isn't perfect, but it's way ahead of whatever's in second place.
http://www.pioneerlocal.com/parkridge/lifestyles/currents/2316826,park-ridge-copbenefit-052710-s1.article
Does anyone else find this ironic considering the union voted to make no concessions to keep the jobs and are taking pay raises next year?
I find the above "typical", but not ironic.
The police union went to the city and agreed to concessions to save their own. What did the city do? They asked for additional concessions on top of the ones that were being discussed. The city was not playing fair to say the least. If that's what is meant by "typical", then I agree.
The police union actually agreed to concessions to save officers. But the city then added additional concessions from what had been talked about. If that's what is meant by typical, then I agree.
M. Anderson is right on. Without PRU, many would not have a clue. Seldom, moreover, has such unpalatable information been presented so entertainingly! PRU performs a public service that others would be hard-pressed to measure up to -- and I say this wholeheartedly although I disagree seriously with several key PRU positions. Long may you wave, PRU Crew!
And we thank all of our readers, the gruding and the faithful alike.
by my accounts the police are getting a raise. anyone disagree?
By my account, the police sat across from the city in negotiations. During this, both sides took things and gave things. After both parties were in agreement, the city then came back and threatened layoffs. So the police union, even after having a signed agreement with the city agreed to defer that raise which again they gave up things to get, to save the city $140,000. The city turned around and gave it away. So what happens next, the union is told that the city will layoff 4, if it can't come up with $284,000, which by my math is more than their raise. Yet again the police union come with a plan to save that money, but it was declined by the city. Under the pressure to save their own another offer was given, but the city, in my belief, looking at this as a time to take advantage of the union added additional concessions, playing unfair to say the least. Mind you, while this is happening the alderman raise the city sticker price in order to throw it at Ohare. Does the safety and the funding for it strictly fall on the police union? I say no, it's those elected and sitting around those tables in a joint effort with the union. What did they do? NOTHING! The union rep asked to meet them half way, I heard him say it two times while he addressed the alderman, and yet they stood still. It's easy to sit back and say you got a raise, how we got there or what was sacrificed is never brought up. Those four guys were layed off by the city, and not by the union for lack of effort to save them. They deserve this benefit and I'll be there to support them.
8:11AM:
Don't you understand we need that money for tree trimming and reforestation??
I am sorry but I am going to have to disagree with you on this one. By all general terms the union refused a pay freeze and if a pay freeze was taken by the union the cops would have not been laid off. Also, it is hard for me as a citizen to feel sorry for a union that has caused the city to pay a couple hundred thousand for police brutality and has made the city pay for retraining of officers. In a side note...... I think the police and fire unions are going to be in for big lashing when people start realizing that this a job where thousands of people apply for these now very competitive positions yet the cities are still paying for their education to perform the essential functions of the job. Could you imagine if a hospital first hired the doctor and THEN paid for their education? I think this can create some good dialouge. I'm not trying to call out civil servants but I'm just saying when you look at it black and white it doesn't make much sense.
4:11:
Hmmmmmmm.....In the business I am in, there are many ongoing training sessions for employees all paid for by the company. I would also point out that many of the folks who are running around with the letters MBA on their business card do so at the expense of their employee. To use your analogy, do you have any idea how much ongoing training and updates take place at a hospital? Are you suggesting that there is no ongoing training necessary? Perhaps all the ongoing training should just come out of the police salaries. Maybe they should pay for there own patrol cars and gas as well. Honest to god, freakin' vultures picking at the bones of police who make about 60K a year.
interesting..........i'm not too sure if I know of any business that pay you for your undergrad degree which is usually the prerequisite for a job.
Anon 4:11
I don't believe anyone was asking for pity here. The police union did forgo their raise the first time to save layoffs, in tune of just under $140,000. Only to have the alderman fund pet projects. Then the city came back again and then asked for $284,000. Well, if they were to forgo the raise again, they would still be short by over 50%. Forgoing the raise my friend would not have saved the 4 officers, it would have saved just 1. You see to save each officer the police union needed to come up with $71,000 each officer scheduled to be layed off. Set with the task by Alderman Carey to reach a budget neutral resolution, the union sat down with the city and met that burden. The city declined that offer. I don't need to defend what the union has done, you can ask each layed off officer who let them down, they know its the city. You ask officers to take pay cuts or pay freezes to see the alderman throw the money away. Alderman Ryan stating that its your own brothers and sisters doing this, well I say again the funding of public safety is on their shoulders as well. The union was willing to work together, unfortunately the city wanted to work against the union. As far as training goes it makes great fiscal sense that the city paid for the training of these four officers only to lay them off. It shouldn't surprise me though being that they also just threw money away to fight Ohare expansion, even after Ohare received 410 million FOR expansion.
i'm not to sure you are correct on your logic. Also, assuming the average salary is 60,000 is just not true. Many of the officers in Park Ridge make over 80,000.
Anon@5:56 --
The average salary for an officer in our police department is around $68,000.
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