City unions ask state to end control board

[steven]

City unions called on state officials Friday to shut down the Buffalo control board, claiming the state oversight panel has treated workers unfairly.
At the least, labor leaders want the state to remove current board members and appoint members who are more in touch with "working people."

Leaders from 11 unions, including the five largest bargaining units, assailed control board policies, including a 26-month-old wage freeze.
"If our legislators don't realize that what they put in effect here is wrong, then we're going to have to deal with it politically," said Buffalo Teachers Federation President Philip Rumore, who has been critical of the control board since it was formed three years ago.
The most recent dispute involves the panel's rejection last week of a contract giving 3 percent raises to a few hundred food service workers in the school district. They currently make $8.25 an hour and don't receive health benefits. Most don't receive pension benefits either.

http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial...17/1003472.asp

[biker]

These union leaders must have an abysmal estimation of the intelligence of their membership is they think this political theater impresses anyone.

They should immediately move to elect better Assemblemen and Senators.

The sooner stodgy reactionaries like Hoyt and Peoples are ousted the better.

[citymouse]

Why did they wait so long? That control board has acomplished nothing. The only reason the budget is balanced is because they forced the city to borrow. They have done nothing but freeze wages.
It's staffed by millionaires who have no concept of what a working stiff needs to get by. They are out of touch with the reality of supporting a family on a public sector salary. It's managing director is paid for by the city and she makes four times the average city worker wage and has the same medical and pension that she say's the rank and file dosen't deserve and they just gave her and her staff a raise.
They were created to attack labor, not to resolve the city's fiscal problems and work for solutions. They proved that when they voted down the contact for the lunch program workers. Those people make eight twenty five an hour, are part time, and have no benefits or pension. Their program is funded entirely by the federal goverment. The increase is only ten thousand dollars a year and would also have come from federal funding. It would have zero effect on the city budget if approved. Those workers make less than the living wage mandated by the city for contractors who work with the city. The control board voted it down because they said it violated the spirit of the wage freeze. Yet they granted raises to others (like dorothy Johnson and her people) that were non union. That, in their minds, didn't violate the spirit of the wage freeze.
The control board is a sham and they are a bunch of blueblood hypocrites.

[biker]

The CB contains a lot of business types who know you go for every savings when your back is against the wall.

The City's budget is "balanced" because it continues the sham of treating any borrowings the CB makes on behalf of the City as "revenue".

What, you don't know that?

What, you don't understand that?

Oh yeah; I just remembered DT Warren's signature line.

Forget the CB and what they make. We want the City employees wages frozen until the average City resident's wages catch up to them.

Should only take 3 or 4 decades.

[buffy]

So now the unions are ganging up.
Desperate.

This CB has balls! They rock! (Except Giambra)

Governor, you can replace Giambra, get another working member.

[DelawareDistrict]

The unions are scared (about time) because the can't influence the Control Board with money and votes. Kinda puts them in the same position as the average taxpayer.

[steven]

Tommorows Headline:

Fox Ask Farmer To Leave Hen House Doors Open

[PBAguy]

If the CB took 15k from you, and plans on taking another 13k this yr, as they have me, you wouldn't think much of them either. If it was only a wage freeze that would be one thing, but it is much more so than that, and the BPD is getting hit the hardest. No other worker in the city is going to lose 30k over a 38 month period because of this wage freeze.

[Curmudgeon]

The proof that the Control Board has been effective is measured by the volume of the screams delivered by the union-ites, who are no longer in charge of the asylum. It's reassuring to know they'll be around for a long, long time.

[crlachepinochet]

If the CB took 15k from you, and plans on taking another 13k this yr, as they have me, you wouldn't think much of them either. If it was only a wage freeze that would be one thing, but it is much more so than that, and the BPD is getting hit the hardest. No other worker in the city is going to lose 30k over a 38 month period because of this wage freeze.

How many people have quit the BPD because of the control board?

[yokes]

If the CB took 15k from you, and plans on taking another 13k this yr, as they have me, you wouldn't think much of them either. If it was only a wage freeze that would be one thing, but it is much more so than that, and the BPD is getting hit the hardest. No other worker in the city is going to lose 30k over a 38 month period because of this wage freeze.

Did you have the 15k in your banks and they took it or did the control board prevent the city from paying it? There is a big difference between taking 15k and preventing 15k from being paid

[WNYresident]

The unions are scared (about time) because the can't influence the Control Board with money and votes. Kinda puts them in the same position as the average taxpayer.

I don't think they are scared. I think they just don't like having thier own way. It's always been a little more every year for the last 30 years or so.

[WNYresident]

If the CB took 15k from you, and plans on taking another 13k this yr, as they have me, you wouldn't think much of them either. If it was only a wage freeze that would be one thing, but it is much more so than that, and the BPD is getting hit the hardest. No other worker in the city is going to lose 30k over a 38 month period because of this wage freeze.

They didn't take 15k from you. If they took 15k from you that would mean you are MAKING 15k less that you were last year.

You just didn't get a 15k increase. Don't mis-lead people.

If I use your reasoning that means I lost $1,000,000 today. Yep sure did. Dell makes upwards of $1,000,000 a day and seeing they did and I didn't I lost $1,000,000. Thats reasoning doesn't hold any water.

You lose money when you MAKE less than the year before. Your $5000 a head of the game seeing there was an across the board raise of $5000 per employee.

[steven]

If the CB took 15k from you, and plans on taking another 13k this yr, as they have me, you wouldn't think much of them either

Every time one of you makes a ridiculous statement like that you lose more support. You people are your own worst enemy's.

[atotaltotalfan2001]

If the CB took 15k from you, and plans on taking another 13k this yr, as they have me, you wouldn't think much of them either. If it was only a wage freeze that would be one thing, but it is much more so than that, and the BPD is getting hit the hardest. No other worker in the city is going to lose 30k over a 38 month period because of this wage freeze.

Wow! You mean you guys stood to make 30k over a 38 month period? Yikes. No wonder the city is broke.