Your Voice: City workers should get used to this
Nov 06, 2009 | 687 views | 28 
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The City Council meeting on Tuesday was well-attended by many off-duty firemen, police officers and city employees with their union representatives.
In my personal opinion, they were trying to send a silent message to our City Council to not even think about layoffs, staff cuts, pay cuts or forcing them to pay more for benefits.
The truth of the matter is that these layoffs and reductions to their ranks are going to happen if they agree with it or not. The alternative is the city of Tracy going into bankruptcy, which is an even worse solution to this financial crisis.
Did they realize if that happens, their current labor contracts become worthless and are subject to renegotiation of wages and benefits?
What is the City Council to do when the money is simply not there, because the Tracy taxpayer money well has gone dry?
Have these civil servants, along with their unions, become so blind and insensitive, showing a total lack of compassion for the community of people they are trying to serve? They act as if it is the taxpayers’ fault, that we the citizens of Tracy deliberately caused this financial crisis.
These civil servants better get used to this — this is the way it is going to be for years to come, with little hope of change. They all had better learn to work with what they have, because the new proposed parcel tax is already dead on arrival.
It appears the citizens of Tracy better get used to even less and less service; city hall open fewer days a week; longer response times (if at all) by the PD & FD; and who knows when you'll get your storm drain cleared or trees trimmed or housing additions inspected. And as stated by another writer, gangs won't be laying off any time soon, so who will control the streets?
I think not!
Instead of blaming the employees how about coming up with some suggestions that focus on solving the problem instead of blaming everyone.
adios -- OMG. City workers are EMPLOYEES and the City of Tracy is the EMPLOYER. Last time I looked when an employee does a job, they get compensated. City employees are already being furloughed, positions aren't being filled and people are being demoted. Management negotiated contracts WITH COUNCIL APPROVAL (meaning yours and mine, 'cuz we elected these folks) and now they should be honored.
And by the way, the "financial mess" at City Hall is all of ours. Every day I drive by our new transit station or the Grand Theatre in downtown, I wonder WHY during these difficult financial times these projects went ahead. Then I remember when these projects began, the economy was flush, the tax base was strong and the country wasn't in a recession. Would it make sense to close down the Grand Theatre or stop mid-build on the transit station? To some -- probably. To others -- no way. And what about the operating costs of these buildings? They don't operate themselves. It takes.......(say it with me) CITY EMPLOYEES!
Times have changed and it takes SERIOUS people to FIND SERIOUS SOLUTIONS. If you feel so strongly about saving the General Fund, then find solutions that make sense. Laying off personnel may make sense to you and others, but then who's gonna do the work that MUST to be done? Instead of placing blame on blogs like this one, attend Council meetings, call a Councilmember, get together with you neighbors and look around YOUR neighborhood to see what YOU can do to make things better and save the City money. That's what Tracy (and America) used to be -- neighbors working together. We can do it if we want to!
The obligations made to civic workers have exceeded what the tax base will be funding, now and in the future.
Less is better! Reduce and eliminate, things that the private sector does everyday. Fix and repair the financial mess city hall is in. The days of easy street are over!
the "anonymous" is an idiot who goes around acting like someone at city hall bit him in the a$$. His name used to be "bob blinker" around here until he wrote a piece about Pombo on a horse overlooking a "purple stained field" at the antenna farm. Now, he's a first class moron.
I absolutely love it!
This is my favorite.....
"Maybe some of you smart people out ther can figure out how to completley eliminate crime. Then we wont need cops. Maybe someone else can figure out how to keep fires and heartattacks from happening. Then we won't need the fire department either."
Have a nice day.
Whatever your "very stressful, dirty, thankless job" is, I too thank you.
You are right, it will be these same ungrateful people who will be complaining when the services of Tracy public workers slows.
anonymous-
You wrote, "What service?" Please don't call the fire department when your house is on fire, or call the police when someone has assaulted you or something else. Stop paying your water and garbage too because some city worker has to apply that payment to your account. When your house gets vandalized, don't call the city to come and take care of the grafitti. I could go on and on.....
The above is just a small part of the "service" that some are grateful for.