… you will still have to feed parking meters on what’s only ONE OF THE BIGGEST SHOPPING DAYS OF THE YEAR.
The change came during this morning’s Portland City Council meeting, after commissioners were asked to sign off on a labor deal with the city’s largest bargaining unit, the District Council of Trades Unions. Among the terms the unions extracted—in exchange for overtime restrictions and giving up cost-of-living increases worth millions—was getting the city to recognize the day after Thanksgiving as a paid holiday.
The city had bargained that with other unions, but the DCTU deal would have left such a critical mass of union workers at home, their bellies full of turkey and taters, that officials decided it made sense to let all the non-union workers take the day off, too.
Citywide, adding a holiday in place of salary bumps and other considerations will save $10 million in personnel costs, says Yvonne Deckard, the city’s human resources director. In questioning that seemed rather brusque at times, Commissioner Dan Saltzman forced Deckard to keep repeating that statistic.
“That’s been one of the lightning rods that the public reacts viscerally to,” he said during the meeting.
Commissioner Randy Leonard somewhat playfully suggested that the new holiday earn drivers a break on meter-feeding, an idea shot down by Mayor Sam Adams, who noted the GIANT AMOUNT OF PARKING BOOTY that shoppers feeding meters bring the city the day after Thanksgiving. Commissioner Nick Fish teased Leonard by saying he’d care less about parking fees if he bicycle more and quit driving his Hummer.
Leonard’s retort: “I drive a Hummer as often as you ride a bike.”
But who then will provide all the services they work so hard to provide us?
Oh, yeah.
At which point Nick Fish was asked if he would like some ice for that BURN.
gonna do just what I please
gonna wear no socks and shoes
with nothing to do but feed
all the kangaroos
–Steely Dan
I suppose we could all kill two stupid things with one Not Stupid Thing here by not shopping on the busiest shopping day of the year and also not bothering trying to shop downtown because it’s a pointless pain in everyone’s ass.
Whaddya say?
People will go to sites like http://www.BlackFridayAds2010.info to see the Black Friday deals, then go shopping on Black Friday and the city will make a lot of sales tax revenue.
fuck shopping,
come to black friday @ Boy Gorilla Coffee (SE 11th & Clay in front WTF Bikes, 6am-6pm) , and if you drink you’re coffee black, it’s free (paper cup or $1 deposit mason jars not included, so be ready to hang out and drink your coffee or bring a mug)
p.s. we do this every last friday of the month
Does that mean the parking cops get the day off ?
Don’t overdo things. will ed hardy tanks not arranged small seashells or other instant details. continually sustain your decors in moderation. this could sustain your place from factors that will gather a lot of dusts.