BY GEORGE M. BURGESS [e-mail]: Unions stepped up to meet crisis (The Miami Herald)

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/16/1531150/unions-stepped-up-to-meet-crisis.html#ixzz0iLTqwgqs

BY GEORGE M. BURGESS
[e-mail]

Balancing a budget is one of the easiest things to do. Miami-Dade County lives by the same rule as our families and local businesses: We only spend what we earn, and we spend less when times are hard.

But it is also one of the hardest things to do. Just as small drops in income can force families to make impossible choices between medicine and the mortgage, our government has had to cut important programs that touch -- and sometimes save -- lives.

We are fortunate to have amazing and dedicated workers, the people who patrol our streets and put out fires, rescue our lost pets and maintain our parks. And when falling revenues could have forced us to shut down vital services, those employees refused. Instead, they worked with their unions and our government to accept new contracts with unprecedented concessions.

They are paying more than ever toward health insurance, forgoing raises and giving up certain types of pay completely. Altogether, we will spend $208 million less on personnel because of these new contracts, and that's before we finish negotiations with the last two of our 10 unions.

They showed great leadership and civic responsibility. None of us took any joy in requesting it, but we all should be proud our workers overwhelmingly agreed to share our collective burden and face our challenges as a team.

I have served this community for my entire career and never seen such compromise -- not from any mayor, manager, commission or union; not from the county, the School Board or the city of Miami.

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/16/1531150/unions-stepped-up-to-meet-crisis.html#ixzz0iNDbCnSg


FULL story at link.

[BeFree]

1. Good example

Isn't always the common working man that comes to the rescue?

We fill the armies, the garbage trucks and the car dealer lots.

We are the backbone of America. Without us the rich people would starve.

Unions of working men and women are what makes this country great, everyone else is just along for the ride.