Readers Debate Municipal Unions effect on Village Finances
it is absolutely appropriate that these contract policies should be reviewed and revised today to bring some sense of reality back to the cost of running municipal government
Union employees have not “passed” on any compensation. It used to be that public employees accepted lower pay in exchange for job security and good benefits. However, over the years, the contracts have been allowed to escalate pay higher and higher by compounding several different forms of increases. We have reached a point today when salaries for some (not all) employees is dramatically above reasonable levels for the jobs they perform, which leads to pension packages that are far more than were ever intended when the system was originally established AND the employees have retained job security and “gold standard” health benefits, for which they have historically paid about 2-3% of the premium cost.
The system today has evolved (through excellent negotiating leverage in the past on the part of union leadership) into something that was never intended. However, all over the country, the days of arbitration favoring the unions has come to an end, for this very reason. And, it is absolutely appropriate that these contract policies should be reviewed and revised today to bring some sense of reality back to the cost of running municipal government.
the fact that the political climate has changed does not mean it’s fair or appropriate to make the employee the scapegoat
Unions most certainly did pass on higher wages for benefits because that’s all that was available, and in the days when those health benefits were negotiated for there was no such thing as binding arbitration.( prior to 1978 ). The perceived advantage of the unions in binding arbitration come largely from the hard line stances the towns took with regard to negotiations, Many town committeemen came to the table with a chip on their shoulder or seemingly having something to prove, and 19 this goes back more than a decade. This position would leave the arbitrator no choice but to rule for the union. That is not say if the union was unreasonable they would not lose An arbitrator ruled against Paramus pd not 2 many years ago, An arbitrator ruled against Ridgewood back in the 90′s, and Midland park lost also.
The benefits employees have were negotiated for and the fact that the political climate has changed does not mean it’s fair or appropriate to make the employee the scapegoat for poor planning. Nor do these facts legitimize circumventing the collective bargaining process. If you want to see arbitration decisions and their fact patterns, they are available on the internet.
Who is making the employee the “scapegoat”? And who has suggested “circumventing” the collective bargaining process? Are you defending the status quo in Ridgewood and suggesting that nothing should be done? I applaud the village council and the Tiger team for highlighting the problems and putting forth some pretty detailed approaches to address an obvious problem that is destined to result in higher taxes, reduced services and layoffs. The author of the second comment seems to have intimate knowledge of the process. Instead of complaining, what proposals would he/she suggest we do to avoid these consequences?
Did employees get laid off as a result of poor planning by previous administration? if so they are the scapegoat or the victim of mismnagement( seems self explanatory) ,
Mayor Paul ad the union perfect together.
No doubt that mismanagement or poor planning led to layoffs in 2010. The buck stops with Gabbert. The village manager is responsible for “managing” the all aspects of the village operations and negotiating labor contracts, not this or the previous council.
I will assume u read or are a contributing author of the tiger team report. Reading the report, every suggestion is aimed at altering the work rules, and or working conditions of the village employees without any mention of negotiation, or consultation, of the affected employee, THAT! is circumventing the collective barganing process. With regard to proposals I would start with government regulation of health care costs. Make health care a public utility that must go before a gov. board and show cause beyond more profit to raise rates, prohibit government from raiding employee pensions to pay of gov. incurred debt( ala Christene todd whitman) Prohibit govenor from forgiving municipal contributions to the pension system PERS or PFRS respectively. THIS is the status quo you make no mention of in your post or anywhere in the tiglet team report. Informed people know taxes will very rarely go down the above ideas would have a much larger effect on cost’s than beating up on the employee. But the people with a har–n for how much cops and fireman make would continue to be dissatisfied.
The members of Mayor’s Tiger Team are for the most part made up of people who think they are the Upper Crust of Ridgewood and probable never done a hard day work in there life. Most live on the Westside. You know the hedge fund guys. The big corporate owners. Ex Council person who by the way was on the council when it was the good times and money was loose. Hand pick by our mayor. No application on the village web site. No resume or interview by the WHOLE council as with all other boards and committees that serve the Village. What make them experts? Is there one blue collar worker among them. They pay taxes too.