County Executive Ed Mangano late last week penned an op-ed in Newsday that takes direct aim at unions.
Mangano, in his first term as county executive, argued that they're partly to blame for the government's financial mess.
From Newsday (subscription required):
Right now, their contracts guarantee employees annual salary increases, longevity pay, free health insurance and educational allowances that do not require any education.
Over the life of the current contracts, growth of total benefits was projected to exceed the Consumer Price Index by more than $500 million. Together with other archaic contractual requirements that drive up overtime, these contracts are simply unaffordable.
In the piece, Mangano also writes that a large percentage of Nassau's $310-million deficit for 2012 is "driven by labor compensation increases."
Detractors, however, point out that Mangano voted in favor of all the contracts he now trashes.
"I read it this morning, and what struck me was not only did he vote for all these agreements, but he made it difficult for Tom Suozzi to negotiate tougher agreements," said Jay Jacobs, the Nassau County Democratic Commitee Chairman. "Now he sings a different song and he wants everyone to believe he's genuine. It's absurd."
In an interview with Patch, Jacobs added that Suozzi threatened furloughs, but Mangano was against it.
John Durso, the president of the Long Island Federation of Labor was no friendlier to Mangano.
"It's easy to blame the workforce," Durso said in an interview this afternoon. "The truth is we have given back. But more importantly, I'd love to know how firing 700 people and threatening thousands of other workers will help the Nassau economy."
10 Arrested in $1 Billion L.I.R.R. Disability Scheme http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/27/ten-arrested-in-1-billion-l-i-r-r-disability-scheme/
By WILLIAM K. RASHBAUM Ten people, including a doctor and a former UNION PRESIDENT were arrested early Thursday and charged in a major fraud scheme in which hundreds of Long Island Rail Road workers made false disability pension claims costing a federal agency an estimated $1 billion
The PDCN officers were well paid prior to that awful Tuesday in September of 2001 and continue to be well paid after. I will not rehash what others have said about the difference in the level of service between PDCN and NYPD. The fact remains that being an officer for PDCN was a lucrative job before 9/11 and continues to be one after 9/11. As an aside, I really don't think the PD and FD did much to "turn terror into their profit." 343 members of the FDNY, 71 law enforcement officers from more than 5 different agencies and 8 EMT/Paramedics from the voluntary private agencies did not profit from terror. Even after the reported mastermind of the attack Usama bin Laden is dead the body count continues to climb nearing 1000 more deaths from exposure to various carcinogens and respiratory irritants at the former WTC site. I also don't think that they "turn terror into their profit" either. As pointed out by Nassau Taxpayer if you pointed at private industry and the former Mayor your post would have been more reasonable. Outside of that, it's just plain wrong.
Never have been, not interested in being one. Full disclosure that good enough for you Tideline?
Look at NUMC for example. They are threatening layoffs to balance the budget there. At this time, they have 16 VP's all making between 175,000 and 450,000 a year. They have a CEO who makes probably 500,000+. He has his own private counsel in his office, on the payroll. His private counsel's wife has a do nothing job in his office and makes 100,000+ a year. This is only the tip of the iceberg as far as the waste that goes on there. But they want to layoff housekeepers and clerks to save the hospital.
His point he was trying to make is you claim your job is so difficult yet the calls for police response and dangerous situations is much higher in the city and they get paid half of what you do? And your partner caomparison is ridiculous since We have one $150K cop going to where two $60K officers could go with the same effect for less money. Just like a cop to say that someone who disagrees with them is a moron. As if they completed multiple degrees before becoming a cop.
"Just like a cop to say that someone who disagrees with them is a moron. As if they completed multiple degrees before becoming a cop." If you took the time to read further you would see that Tideline and I already had an exchange about this. LET ME MAKE IT VERY CLEAR IN ALL CAPS: I'M NOT A COP, NEVER HAVE BEEN A COP, DON'T PLAN ON BEING ONE! It's not my job! I made the point that if two sector cars from the NYPD went to the same call that two sector cars from PDCN go to it cost about the same. It was more about the the main point that I was trying to make that the Union has no say when a class goes in, it is the Acting PC and the CE who decide when to put a class in. Tideline and I got into a sidebar about something else when it came to the body count and body armor argument. If you take a look at some other posts by people who actually are on the job you would see that there is a difference in the level of service that the general public wants from the Nassau Cops versus the NYPD. That should speak to the effect of an NYPD officer and a PDCN officer. I'm not a cop but now you are the moron.
Your disclosure did not hurt, right ? LOL.