Waiting for the other shoe to drop!

[FD Bro']

With two of the three public safety agency bargaining units in St. Petersburg at impasse and the third approaching said same - could anyone have predicted the current conditions for little St. Petersburg?

Read the article below. Some members of our own Council and the Mayor don't want to hear your *****ing, but on any given day the SP Times portrays the results of not dealing effectively with your Public Safety employees. The best people are not showing up at the door to work for our Police and Fire Departments.

Quality of life - now in question.


FD Bro'


http://www.miamiherald.com/top_stori...ry/548840.html


Posted on Wed, May. 28, 2008
Lauderdale police union unhappy with new contract
BY DIANA MOSKOVITZ
After months of wrangling, Fort Lauderdale's cops and city leaders have agreed to a contract, but the deal wasn't what union leaders wanted.

On Tuesday, city commissioners voted 4-0, without comment, to approve a two-year contract that affects about 455 officers.

Commissioner Carlton Moore was absent from the meeting, which was called only to approve the deal.

The police had been working without a contract since the end of September, and the new contract is retroactive to that date.

City leaders said they were pleased with the deal, which gives officers a 5 percent raise each year.

In 2007, an entry-level cop at Fort Lauderdale earned $45,032, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. That officer, with a 5 percent raise, would earn $47,283.60.

''Realistically, it was the best we could do,'' Mayor Jim Naugle said.

But union leaders weren't pleased. The new contract lacks a cost-of-living increase in pension benefits, for example, they point out.

Rather, they said, the union agreed to the deal -- one for patrol officers up through sergeants, the other for lieutenants and captains -- after City Manager George Gretsas threatened to take away benefits such as pensions for new hires and deferred retirement for more senior officers.

In a statement, the union showed its displeasure.

''Although the commission has the final say, they have to rely on information provided by the manager. The information they received was deceitful and incorrect,'' said Jack Lokeinsky, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 31 -- the union representing the Fort Lauderdale officers.

City spokesman Ted Lawson would not comment on Lokeinsky's remarks.

Expensive retirement benefits for police and firefighters have been a major reason for the growth of city budgets in recent years.

In Fort Lauderdale, officers can retire on 67.8 percent of their pay after 20 years. In other Florida towns and cities, that percentage is higher.

During the negotiations for the current agreement, Fort Lauderdale's officers took their frustration with City Hall public. Union leaders argued that police salaries haven't kept pace with those of nearby municipalities.

As a result, they say, the Fort Lauderdale police force has become a training ground for cops who eventually leave for other Florida departments.

In October, officers protested at one of the city's biggest events -- the International Boat Show -- and in March they voted ''no confidence'' in Gretsas and Assistant City Manager David Hebert.

On Tuesday, the union took one more swipe at City Hall.

By law, both bargaining groups vote on a contract, and the police union approved the contract with a symbolic gesture.

Union president Lokeinsky issued a statement saying that the contracts had passed a union election open to all 455 bargaining unit members -- but only one person voted.

That person voted in favor of two contracts, one for patrol officers and sergeants and another for lieutenants and captains, meaning the deal passed by 1-0.


© 2008 Miami Herald Media Company. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.miamiherald.com

[Tom]

Things are looking tough for public employees. Your friends in organized labor are ready to give support. Let other unions, neighborhoods and civic groups hear your side of the story.

Police and firefighters unions are welcome to join in common cause with other unions. On Saturday a picnic with bring union members together with political leaders and candidates. Tell your elected officials what you need them to hear. A much bigger event will be held on Labor Day.

2nd Annual Tri-County "Legacy of Labor" Picnic



Please Join us at Anderson Park (shelter #4)
39699 U.S. HWY. 19 N., Tarpon Springs, FL 34689 | (727) 943.4085 | Map
Time: 12:30 - 3:30
Special Guests:

State Senator Charlie Justice
State Representative Bill Heller
City Councilwoman Mary Mulhern

Meet the Candidates!

John ****s, US Congress, District 9
Doug Tudor, US Congress, District 12
John Russell, US Congress, District 5
Ron Rice, State Representative, District 46
Steve Donaldson, Pasco County Superintendent of Schools
Kim Bogart, Pasco County Sheriff
Terry Conroy, Pasco County Commissioner, District 3
Ginny Miller, Pasco County Commissioner, District 5
Nick Planck, Pasco County Commissioner, District 3
Jack Killingsworth, Pinellas County Supervisor of Election
Phyllis Busansky, Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections
Stephen Gorham, Hillsborough County School Board
Kevin Beckner, Hillsborough County Commissioner
George Gonzalez, State Representative, District 54
Randall Jones, Pinellas County Sheriff
Ben Friedlander, Pinellas County Property Appraiser

Hotdogs and Hamburgers will be provided

Bring a covered dish to share!
RSVP:
unionpicnic@gmail.com

(we're getting a GREAT response - if you're coming, let us know!)

Bring Chairs! We can also use ice, side dishes & desserts....