SHRED (1000+ posts) Wed Jan-05-11 10:47 PM
Original message
The Shameful Attack on Public Employees
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2011
In 1968, 1,300 sanitation workers in Memphis went on strike. The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. came to support them. That was where he lost his life. Eventually Memphis heard the grievances of its sanitation workers. And in subsequent years millions of public employees across the nation have benefited from the job protections they’ve earned.
But now the right is going after public employees.
Public servants are convenient scapegoats......blah blah blah blah from an article on Robert Reich's blog
badtoworse (227 posts) Wed Jan-05-11 10:50 PM
Response to Original message
1. It's not just the Right - look at what Cuomo is doing in NY
dkf (1000+ posts) Wed Jan-05-11 11:15 PM
Response to Original message
5. Should taxes be raised on people who don't have pensions to pay other people's pensions?
That is the case that has to be made. In the past it was justified as public workers got paid less, but now with private sector salaries on their way down, that often isn't the case.
dkf (1000+ posts) Thu Jan-06-11 06:09 AM
Response to Reply #8
10. It's a question of fairness.
Do people without pensions compromise their own ability to retire to fund public workers ability to retire. Paying higher taxes means less can saved for someones own retirement.
And the fact is that if you don't have a pension you need to save even more because you need a cushion just in case.
MadHound (1000+ posts) Thu Jan-06-11 08:35 AM:lmao:
Response to Reply #5
19. Actually, when you compare the pay of private sector vs. public sector jobs,
On a job to job, seniority to seniority scale, apples to apples, public employees are still getting paid about four percent less than private sector employees. Olberman had that little statistical fact on the other night.
notesdev (1000+ posts) Thu Jan-06-11 12:27 AMNotesdev made a long post that made some sense. This was just part of it. Did the meds come in? It's Jan 6, they must have. First of the month.
Response to Original message
6. another guy who doesn't get it
Public sector unionization is an inherent conflict of interest with the same people allegedly serving the public while bargaining against the public.
badtoworse (227 posts) Thu Jan-06-11 06:29 AM
Response to Reply #6
11. An interesting and thought provoking post
I never looked at it quite that way. Resentment by the general public towards public employee unions was likely a factor in Gov. Christie's election in NJ.
I am offended that you accuse me of "bargaining against the public".is the gist.
Absolute nonsense.
The public is getting a damn good deal from our service.
Gaedel (662 posts) Thu Jan-06-11 08:47 AM
Response to Reply #15
21. A lot of citizens
after dealing with a government office wish that they had the power to arbitrarily terminate government employees.
This is what you are fighting.
To the citizenry at large, government employees are seen as lazy and officious running their offices for the convenience of the employees and not for the convenience of the public. Huge lines at the DMV, only two windows open, and a host of guys just sitting at desks in the back drinking coffee.
When I worked for the federal government, we often described certain offices as "self-licking ice cream cones" where little work was done and they had written their missions, functions, and job descriptions so that they only "coordinated, oversaw, or reviewed" stuff, never anything like "work".
Gaedel (662 posts) Thu Jan-06-11 08:47 AM
Response to Reply #15
21. A lot of citizens
after dealing with a government office wish that they had the power to arbitrarily terminate government employees.
This is what you are fighting.
To the citizenry at large, government employees are seen as lazy and officious running their offices for the convenience of the employees and not for the convenience of the public. Huge lines at the DMV, only two windows open, and a host of guys just sitting at desks in the back drinking coffee.
When I worked for the federal government, we often described certain offices as "self-licking ice cream cones" where little work was done and they had written their missions, functions, and job descriptions so that they only "coordinated, oversaw, or reviewed" stuff, never anything like "work".
But now the right is going after public employees.
Because people are paying for public employees benefits and retirement and not able to pay for their own.That's exactly it. When do they take part in cutting their own pay or adjusting their pensions as the private sector has already done?
That's exactly it. When do they take part in cutting their own pay or adjusting their pensions as the private sector has already done?
I am offended that you accuse me of "bargaining against the public".
Absolute nonsense.
The public is getting a damn good deal from our service.
Are Public Sector Workers Overcompensated?
Several analyses of average wages and benefits in the public and private sectors reveal that state and local government workers earn more than private sector workers. According to the most recent Employer Costs for Employee Compensation survey from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of December 2009, state and local government employees earned total compensation of $39.60 an hour, compared to $27.42 an hour for private industry workers-a difference of over 44 percent. This includes 35 percent higher wages and nearly 69 percent greater benefits.
I got one better for you. They decided to bribe out the county workers here ho were eligible to retire. A bunch did. Took their pension and the thousands they were offered. They waited 3 months and reapplied and got their old jobs back, for higher pay. To the gubbamints credit after the first dozen or so got away with it they did stop it.
Yep, KalTrans just laid off 100,000 workers since the department procured a shovel that stands up by itself.
Gaedel (662 posts) Thu Jan-06-11 08:47 AMDUmmy Gaedel has painted an eloquent word picture of a government office. He is a troll. The only places in private enterprise I've seen operate like the DMV are Academy Sports and Barnes & Noble. Long lines at one or two open registers, while groups of employees stand around all over the store.
Response to Reply #15
To the citizenry at large, government employees are seen as lazy and officious running their offices for the convenience of the employees and not for the convenience of the public. Huge lines at the DMV, only two windows open, and a host of guys just sitting at desks in the back drinking coffee.