Detroit Eligible To File Chapter 9; Pension Haircuts Allowed Bankruptcy Judge Rules

s Randall:
You attempt an open dialogue, but you counter attack any position taken by those who support public safety.  Altruistic intention by MOST of those in public safety was (i am quite sure) one of the most important things about wanting to be in the Police or Fire Departments in the first place.  You act as though the Police and Fire Departments have abandoned everyone, and that our intention is to do harm to those who have voted to take our pay, our retirement and our security.  Yes, there are hard feelings, but our “altruistic” values do not allow us the luxury of work slow downs, strikes, or abandoning the oaths we took.  Unlike the private sector, the rank and file have a sworn obligation to do their job….no matter how much it costs us.  What is so wrong about cautioning younger candidates about the people they will be working for?  Because you seem to be one of those people.  Would YOU want to work for you?  We have that right, and we have the right to tell them the truth with ACTUAL numbers.  No ones “off the top of our heads”.  The simple fact of the matter is, if Measure B passes….any officer or firefighter living in the City Limits now, will not be.  46% of your entire income?  For what?  You are already not competitive for new hires, now you intend to make it worse?  You have been lied to by the puppet master; and bought it hook, line and sinker.  Maybe you should try the alternative route of information by reading the Billy and the Spanner, Save San Jose, or any other Police and Fire publication for a different perspective.

Reed is such an egomaniac! This is all for The media. if this was for real , then where was the this attitude when dealing with San Jose’s workers?? This guy is the biggest *!@#$# , he has destroyed San Jose and now along with his corrupt backers wants to destroy California . Feedback, what a joke . This Mayor only listens to the voices in his head.

I think a lot of what you are doing is counterproductive.  For instance, what was the point of that last paragraph?  Do you really want people to start thinking that they better plan on fending for themselves?  Do you really want to throw the open carry crowd more red meat?

The job is dangerous to begin with. Any sense of altruistic duty left the building with the passage of B, W and V.

Officers who remain fully understand that fewer officers can increase the risk and danger they face and the public is feeling the fallout from the common sense solution to the risk problem: They just don’t respond until they feel they have sufficient resources available to mitigate some (no way to eliminate all…) risk and danger.

Calls for service pend , response times have gone through the roof and many calls that officers routinely responded to go untended. The result is the public is a greater risk, the public’s property is damages or stolen and criminals go undetected and get away unscathed. The public was warned this would happen, folks said the warning was just “union thug threats.”

Now that officers are leaving for better pay your mad?  You feign concern over safe working conditions? Don’t worry about working police working conditions, worry about yourself and your family’s safety and what plan “b” is when you call 911 and help is an hour or more away and you have exhausted all your home defense supplies…remember you still will expect your police department to investigate and bring the responsibles to justice.

It is the Unions job to protect its membership and believe it or not , it better for the new employees to work elsewhere. San Jose is lowest in Pay , lowest benefitted ,  Zero Disability plan for those injured doing their jobs. Please explain why any one would work here when they can go else where and earn a competitive wage. its obvious you don’t care about those providing public safety , you just want their jobs done period. well guess what most of those employs have families, mortgages and bills. how could you survive paying 46% of your salary into your own pension and increased benefit payments? Everyone has the right to work where they choose to go , not be trapped by an Unscrupulous Mayor and Council. This City is getting exactly what it deserves

I don’t expect police to be altruistic heroes.  The flip side to that is that when people stop expecting police to be altruistic heroes, then they will stop treating police like altruistic heroes.

If you encourage people to leave, then a direct consequence is that the remaining people will be overworked, and their jobs will get more dangerous.

OK it is true, SJPOA IS encouraging employees to leave the City’s employment.

Tell us why they should be encouraging people to stay?

The sophomoric “because they are public servants” or “because it will prove that they are the altruistic heroes they claim to be,” hogwash won’t cut it.

What is wrong with encouraging people with a specific skill set that is in high demand to seek jobs with local employers who ARE paying on average more than 20% (Gross/Net/total comp or friggin cheerios) MORE than the City of San Jose?

What is wrong with encouraging people with a specific skill set that is in high demand and where there is a very strong chance that a person performing a job with that skill set will become injured (injury ranging from a paper cut that ends up with full blown MRSA/Staph to DEATH) in the line of duty to seek jobs with employers who are willing to take care of that person until DEATH rather than simply fire them if they cannot return to full duty with in one year?

If you worked for a private sector company and could take your skills somewhere else for more pay to support yourself and family wouldn’t you? 

(posted to the MWFb page lest SJI conclude this is a personal attack on srandall and sends my questions to the SJI black hole)

I never said anything about the city.  This is what I wrote:

I’m not inclined to feel too sorry about our overworked police officers.  If the POA wants to encourage its members to leave, then the remaining membership has more than a share of the blame for their situation.

You are shorthanded, and seem to be actively working to keep things that way.  You haven’t refuted that.  In fact you (collectively) seem to repeat that every chance you get.