Comments

1
Good for her. She's definitely going to be the rump on the council for a while. We'll see if she gets anything done.
2
I like her willingness to be different, not to play the usual games, to make bold proposals. I am trying my best to get past the crazy eyes too...
3
"...it essentially says to our non-represented workforce that they should be treated differently than anybody else."

I don't know how it works in this particular case, but can someone enlighten me as to why someone would be paying union dues for no tangible job benefit whatsoever? Otherwise, they're already being treated differently, by definition.
4
Union dues should be primarily for representation if something goes wrong - access to legal resources etc. Sort of like insurance, but possibly with other benefits. The idea that union people should be paid more than non-union staff is obscene.
5
Also, how big is the city staff such that 1500 people constitutes a small subset? (Google is not helping me out, here.)
6
I would wager that if you averaged all the union vs. non-union salaries in the City, the non-union average salary is higher -- I would be certain at least 4% higher than the union average. Pretty much every rank-and-file (i.e. non-management) employee in the City is in a union. Non-union employees (aka non-rep) are managers and policy-types who work for the mayor and commissioners, and also temps.

Also, who cares if she introduces something without knowing ahead of time (or maybe she did) if it has three votes? It certainly fostered some interesting discussion, and got some press.
7
In the wake of Paulsons Folly, the ongoing boondoggle that will not die, it is good to see Fritz speak to the truth of the fiscal landscape.. If Leonard and Adams want to fork over millions to Meritless Paulson's private money burning ventures then where do we get the money to give raises or even fund at current levels things like health, education, transportation and the like?

Leornard and Admas want their vanity stadium cake and eat the public funds to boot. One of the others gents, and it took Fritz to lay the argument out in a way you had to say no to.

It is amazing to see a political person willingly harm herself in order to make a worthwhile point. Good for Amanda Fritz, she has done a good thing here.
8
Speaking of unfair, it seems a little unfair to expect a cost of living increase while at least a hundred and fifty people are being laid off. You might say those folks are being unfairly punished with an enormous pay decrease.
9
If you can't fathom why she did it, you're overthinking. Not everything is a calculated game of political chess.
10
Cause Fritz isn't full of shit. Also, it may be to show she can stand up for something despite not having the political nods to push it through. Perhaps this is a response to criticism after being hedged into making the sit-lie extension?

Anyway. Go Amanda!
11
I have no problem with her coming up with proposals nobody else agrees with. Shows independence, and all that.

I just hope next time the proposal she comes up with won't be quite so batshit insane.
12
So, Nick Fish thinks raises are okay for managers...nice!

Hey Nick, where's the poverty summit? Where's the Section 8 task force? Where's the action on sit/lie if the data show people are being targeted? Where's the "new voice" for City Hall?

How is the fundraising going now that your developer friends are broke? Only 11 months left...

People are watching.
13
If I remember correctly, the city has between five and six thousand full time employees. That would mean about three quarters are represented and a quarter are not.

Virtually every company I know of have discontinued COLA's, in many cases suspended employer matches into retirement plans, cut salaries or implemented furloughs. We've done these things and the reason we've done these things is to prevent having to lay anyone off. I would rather provide full employment at lesser compensation than put anyone in the unemployment line. I think that is where Amanda was trying to go with this.

The public sector is the only place where people continue to get COLA's under the logic of "we have to".

Matt, your assessment of the politics is probably correct, but Amanda is not a political animal. That's why I am a fan.

Please wait...

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