The Buffalo News and the LUSJ reporting that the city council is not happy with the current negotiated fire department pact.
The firefighters union announced Monday that its members have proposed five-year labor contract with the city.
The Common Council has not agreed to the deal, however, and according to Council President John Lombardi III, isn’t likely to.
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“What’s on the table is a good start, but there are some things we absolutely do not want to be locked into,” Mayor Michael Tucker added.
Details are in the LUSJ article.
Last post on this subject with comments is here.
11 comments:
The idea of paying someone to be 'on call' if the shift is shorthanded is a very good one. The only thing I firmly believe is that the union will either never agree or want so much money to be 'on call' it won't work.
You mentioned in an earlier post you talk to the mayor a lot. Have you brought this idea up to him?
It sounds like a good, common sense answer - hence it will never happen! The union will never agree if it doesn't pad their wallets, especially the guys about to retire.
I see it as a split between those that want a volunteer sub-system. They would work in a similar fashion but would be paid professionals sticking around the city for half the day and getting full pay if actually needed for a call. Looking back at the calls for the past several years would give an idea the percentages of shifts with occurrences that would have necessitated them actually coming in for call.
I haven't mentioned it directly.
You should bring it up and see what he says. They should expect some pay for being on call, which I think would be fair. You would be asking them to be in town while on call, and also not to be partying for the day. The question is how much. Obviously if they get called in for a fire they would get full pay.
I think a supplemental volunteer force would be best, but I don't see how that will ever go through, until the city goes through bankruptcy.
Nobody involved really wants to talk about the main problem with staffing issues. Firefighters taking "me" days. Sure, I don't want a Firefighter who isn't feeling good fighting a fire, but with the number of sick days that the Firefighters get, many of them don't bat an eye about taking a day off because it's inconvenient to work that day.
Cut down on the ability to call in sick because someone does not feel like working that day, and we'll cut down on overtime. Hell, with as much overtime as they get, why give them paid days off? They'll make it up in OT in short time.
most poorly managed city in the state of NY
We have to remember that we are not only talking fires here. The Fire Department provides paramedic service as well. People seem to forget that I think.
Anon 1.. we have a LONG way to go before we get there. Which is good and sad at the same time.
I agree. Compared to other cities in the state we have been on rather good footing during this down turn while gradually improving infrastructure.
The future is always unknown and this is where the contract guarantees come in, where any realignment of resources is seen as a "concession" and why adding something simple in one of the contracts has effects into infinity.
Other items like blocking volunteer work to city properties (Outwater Park) under job protection gets under my skin. There is more than enough stuff to work on in this city for those that are employed by it. I bet we could all make a huge list. The Olmsted Conservatory had made huge strides in raising matching funds and supplying supplemental volunteer labor to turn around Buffalo's historic parks which were mismanaged and sucked dry like Outwater Park. Lockport should be working on a similar system. Without volunteers a lot of what is being done around here would not be; plus will not continue to progress.
This is not the booming Lockport of 50 years ago. Like real world corporations restructurings are needed to realign the the buisness and position it for growth again. If not the employees will be working in a state subsidized waste land like large parts of Buffalo and NF. We are still rather whole. How we position ourselves for the future is the bug questions mark as we try to move forward.
City population is roughly 22,500 people. We also know that the median income is just over $35,000, and that the average assessed value of a home in Lockport is just over $69,000.
Based on this information, the cost, including benefits, for a paid professional City of Lockport Fire Department is approximately $266.02 a year or .72 per day.
By comparison, the daily newsstand price of the U.S.& J. is $221.00/year or .60/day.
Verizon DSL online connection is $417.72/year or $1.14/day.
Adelphia Classic cable is $589.68/year or $1.61/day.
Based on this information, the cost, including benefits, for a paid professional City of Lockport Fire Department is approximately $266.02 a year or .72 per day.
"By comparison, the daily newsstand price of the U.S.& J. is $221.00/year or .60/day.
Verizon DSL online connection is $417.72/year or $1.14/day.
Adelphia Classic cable is $589.68/year or $1.61/day."
OK, some questions - where does this $266 a day come from? Does it include all the dept costs such as the actual ot, not the budgeted? Also does it include the pension and health insurance costs for the retirees?
Another point, your cost per day is the cost per city resident per day while all your other estimates are cost per household, i.e. one internet connection per house not per person.
Does that also include days of for fishing trips? If you are arguing that we should have a paid fire department, you're not making a good case. If you are arguing that they are underpaid, or not part of the budget woes, you are also making a bad case.
And who has Adelphia Cable?
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