Tag Archives: Furlough

SEIU721 & Coalition of City Unions Say Proposed Changes Do Nothing to Help Budget Crisis

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- This Article was Directly Copied from the

Coalition of LA City Unions website -

The Coalition of unions consists of Laborers International Union (LIUNA) Local 777, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 721, American Federation of State, County, & Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 36, Los Angeles/Orange County Building & Construction Trades Council, and International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 911.

What you read below was the Official Position of the Unions until the last few weeks all of a sudden it is completely acceptable, Can you trust such a major flip flop? Can you Say Smoking gun?

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Global “Pension Reform” Fury Hits LA
October 28, 2010

The economic downturn has left many private sector workers – who have been forced to rely on risky 401(k) plans and home equity to fund their retirement – with a serious case of “Pension Envy.” Indeed, the gap between what Americans need for retirement and the amount they have saved is a staggering $6.6 trillion according to Retirement USA.

“Pension Envy” turned into “Pension Fury” when it was discovered that top-level public executives like Bell City Manager Robert Rizzo and others are able to retire with budget-busting public pensions – often exceeding $250,000.

Rather than focus on real pension reform, politicians across the country are pushing to slash pensions for new hires to poverty levels. Meanwhile, they are protecting high pensions. Case in point: Even after the public outcry about Bell, Gov. Schwarzenegger vetoed two bills that would have limited pensions and ended spiking!

It is in this context that the City of LA has jumped on the “Pension Reform” bandwagon. No fewer than five competing plans for slashing the pensions of new hires are being pushed by the Mayor, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), and City Council members. Most of these proposals have one thing in common:

They will leave the average rank-and-file City employee – who has no Social Security benefits to rely on – struggling to survive upon retirement…

Not only is it the hope of some City leaders to create a financial penalty for those who choose to – or are

pretax chart

forced to, through service disability – retire early, but also to reduce the maximum amount one can earn in retirement by 34%.

As if that’s not bad enough, the City is eager to slash retiree healthcare costs by 50% —through the elimination of retiree spouse health-care.

 

 

 

Proposed New LACERS Tier Shifts Costs to Employees
Not only is the proposed new tier a poverty level, work-’til-you-die benefit, but the CAO wants to increase the employee contribution from 7% to 11%. For the average worker, this will leave him or her with little extra money to contribute to our deferred compensation program – a key requirement with a reduced pension and no social security.

Proposed Changes Do Nothing to Help Budget Crisis
This so-called “pension reform” will have NO IMPACT ON THE BUDGET for decades to come. So let’s call this what it is: This is not “pension reform,” these are simply cuts, and cuts that are deep and painful…and do nothing but allow politicians to respond to recession-era hysteria caused by a bad case of “Pension Envy.”

 



Coalition of City Unions Agreement Puts everyone at risk

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The Famous Friday Drop.

After everyones gone home for the night, surprise an email pops up near 9Pm.

In the Excuse filled email the latest contract agreement.

After carefully reviewing the New Revised Draft Agreement which supercedes are previous ERIP, and our current contract, one thing is clear.  Were Still Screwed!

We were fed half holidays unpaid, which came up to a couple hours, now we are forced to randomly take 3.5 hours Every Single pay period.

Coalition members will be Willingly Furloughed nearly Two Weeks – 59.5 Hours

Bonuses no longer compound losing there importance and recognition of the hazardous life threatening duties performed Costing Workers Thousands! LAPD Officers Would NEVER tolerate this.

NO CASH OVERTIME – Comp time only. Federal Limit of 240 hours.

NO RAISES – EAA MEMBERS GOT THERE RAISES

There are no Real tangible savings other then the Furloughs.

We continue to put off Real cost savings which will only make us suffer in the long term putting everyone’s future at risk. If the council isn’t told no you can’t continue to spend in this fashion, one day we will wake up to a headline blasting City of Los Angeles files for bankruptcy.

It is up to us to be responsible and Vote NO on this deal the furloughs are a given, but risking our financial future on the hope the city will magically come up with money in the next year and not spend it on more cops is foolish.

Consider this, LA City council instead of actually saving money by canceling the Police Academy Class has only delayed it in the hopes that if we give back all of these things in our contract we will allow them to continue spending at an unsustainable rate. No Other Union has had to give up this much, why are we giving away so much?

Paying more for Early Retirement and adding these latest concessions will leave us far behind other workers, and Sworn will continue to make out like bandits.

We Do NOT have to keep shouldering the costs for early retirements and our failed unions desperate attempt to save face.

Look at the numbers and the long term consequences of this deal.

If We VOTE NO:

We Get a +3.0% Retro Raise

We GET another 2.75% Raise in Two Months

We Keep our CASH Overtime.

We KEEP our pride, and our contract whole.

We will still have a contract after the economy improves, and we will be able to negotiate things that will prevent using employee wages as a savings account.

If we Don’t we are opening ourselves up to continued abuse and more of the same.

Employees will not have there retirement increased without proper bargaining.

If we Vote Yes we are setting ourselves back 30 years.

We are going to allow the city to transfer people against there will, we are hurting everything as a collective bargaining group we are suppose to stand for.

Stop getting used as an ATM.

SEIU Local 1000 Scores Furlough Victory

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SEIU Local 1000 scores a Furlough Victory!

State fund insurance workers will Get back pay and interest for the furlough days taken ruled Superior Court Judge Charlotte Walter Woolard today.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger imposed mandatory furloughs on nearly all State workers earlier this year, SEIU Local 1000 filed five cases on the furlough issues and four are yet to be decided.

SEIU claimed furloughs would amount to a cutback of staff, State Fund employees are exempted from ” hiring freezes and staff cutbacks” in the states Insurance Code ruled Judge Wollard.

State officials would not say if they planned on appealing the ruling.

City of Los Angeles workers will not be affected by today’s ruling as it does not cover any employees outside of the State workers compensation Fund, the City of Los Angeles is self insured for workers compensation and is operated by LA city employees in the Personnel Department.

Executive employee relations committee Special Meeting on furloughs and ERIP

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If this isn’t the agenda of all agendas, Tuesday the most important group of people in city politics will get legal advice on overturning the furloughs and ending or accepting ERIP among other issues.

EXECUTIVE EMPLOYEE RELATIONS COMMITTEE
SPECIAL MEETING
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2009 at 8:00 A.M.
COUNCIL CHAMBER CONFERENCE ROOM 340, CITY HALL
200 NORTH MAIN STREET, LOS ANGELES, CA 90012
Section 4.870e (3) LAAC

Members: Antonio R. Villaraigosa, Mayor

Eric Garcetti, President of the Council
Jan Perry, President Pro Tempore
Bernard C. Parks, Chair, Budget and Finance Committee
Dennis P. Zine, Chair, Personnel Committee
(Any interested Council Member may attend)
City
Management
Representative: Miguel A. Santana, City Administrative Officer
AGENDA

  1. Public Comment
[NOTE: Agenda items to be considered in Executive (Closed) Session.]

The City Attorney requests Closed Session pursuant to Government Code Sections 54956.9(a) and/or (b) to allow the Committee to confer with its legal counsel subject to the attorney/client privilege on the following matters:

2. Legal Advice Relative to Status of Tentative Agreement with the Coalition of City Unions, Including the Early Retirement Incentive Program (ERIP)


3. Legal Advice Relative to Furloughs


Closed Session: Conference with Labor Negotiator / City Management Representation, or Designee, (pursuant to California Government Code § 54957.6) concerning consultations and discussions with representatives of the relevant employee organizations regarding:

4. Status Report and Instructions to Negotiators on Sworn Negotiations

5. Memorandum of Understanding Amendment for Fire Chief Officers