WTF is going on in Chi town ???

[littlewolf]

http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/6525711-418/emanuel-sends-layoff-notices-to-city-workers-in-showdown-with-unions.html


Mayor Rahm Emanuel is sending layoff notices to about 625 city of Chicago employees — and delaying 61 blocks of curb and gutter improvements and 76 blocks of sidewalk repairs — after union leaders didn’t agree to work-rule changes the mayor wants or offer alternate ways to cut costs by a deadline Friday.

snip

“My duty as mayor is to protect our city’s taxpayers and be their voice — not to protect the city’s payroll,” Emanuel said at a City Hall news conference Friday. “No amount of smoke and mirrors can put off the tough decisions any longer.”
The layoffs — which Emanuel said will save roughly $12 million — target 75 percent cut of the Chicago Department of Transportation’s “seasonal” workforce, as well as custodians at O’Hare Airport, Midway Airports and the city’s public libraries; and workers who run the city’s water-bill call center and manage city benefits.

snip

Emanuel said he bent over backward to avoid laying off city employees even as he’s been touting how he’s helped bring 3,600 private-sector jobs to Chicago since he took office in May.
Friday’s layoff notices came after Emanuel eliminated unpaid furlough days for city workers, saying that cost-saving move implemented by former Mayor Richard M. Daley was a “morale-killer.” He came up with a $19 million menu of cost-saving work-rule changes and agreed to a requested two-week delay — until Friday — on those so the Chicago Federation of Labor could try to come up with alternate ways to cut back.

snip

In the meantime, the mayor made $20 million in budget cuts that didn’t affect union jobs.
Emanuel said Friday that the revised deadline has arrived, and he can’t wait any longer to deal with the financial time bomb left behind by Daley, who balanced his final city budget with union concessions not yet negotiated. At midnight on June 30, an agreement expired that had required unionized city employees to take the equivalent of 24 unpaid furlough days a year and substitute compensatory time off for cash overtime.
“I recognize that the workers affected here are people with families to support and bills to pay, and they are going to be cast into an economy that is scarce on jobs,” Emanuel said. “But there are millions of hard-working families across the city who are trying to pay bills every day, get their kids to school every day or in camp. They’re trying to make ends meet on a paycheck that may run out by the end of the month. Those are the people pay the bills that expect the services.”



much more at the link .....

[mistertrickster]

1. Emanuel's the one who should be laid-off . . . nt

[EFerrari]

2. He has to fire the city's taxpayers in order to save them. n/t

/oops

[Recursion]

4. The purpose of public sector jobs is not for those workers to be employed

I feel like our side forgets that sometimes.

[theophilus]

5. One of the purposes, in times like these, should be to keep them employed. n/t

[EFerrari]

7. Exactly. n/t

[hack89]

15. With a $650 million deficit that may not be possible.

money spent on wages and benefits is money not spend on education, libraries, and basic services. If the population of Chicago is not complaining then perhaps they have made their choice as to where the money needs to go. After decades of crony politics, it is hard to imagine that Chicago city government is not bloated and inefficient.

[QC]

3. Gee, who could have predicted this?

Rahm was always such a man of the people!

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[slay]

8. Corporations have bought our politicians who then refuse to tax the rich - money has to come from

somewhere - and that somewhere is us - the working people. If we don't stop electing pro-corporate, pro-rich candidates, we are doomed. We need to tax the rich at 90% to make up for all the harm they have caused this country!!! :mad:

[Peregrine Took]

9. How he got elected is beyond me. I thought people here had more sense.

He ran one of those low, low profile stealth campaigns not saying much just being cool plus he had tons of money.

Now we are stuck with him. As usual when people wake up and find out what he's all about he will be hated far and wide but then what?

Folks, before you vote for someone do some research! Otherwise stay home!!!

Same thing as with the 2010 elections with the teabaggers. More people who were elected by people who didn't check out who they really were and just voted emotionally now just look at the havoc they are causing the whole country.

[hack89]

10. They are broke? nt

[KharmaTrain]

13. Yep...

Just like many cities and states...decreased tax revenues coupled with decades of over-the-top spending by Daley and his cronies. There's no bailouts coming from Washington so the budgets are being balanced on the backs of labor.

[hack89]

14. And the tax payers - they will be paying more for less. nt

[KharmaTrain]

16. They Already Are...

There's the screwed up privitization of the parking meters that is costing the city millions in lost revenues that are now coming out of cuts in services. The Catch-22 is as long as the economy is stagnant that is keeping down property and retail taxes the more cuts will be coming that will further stagnate the economy. Tax payers lose no matter...

[RaleighNCDUer]

11. How much will the city save when a grate in a deteriorating sidewalk

collapses and drops a half-dozen pedestrians 20 feet, and they (or their survivors) collectively sue the city for 100 million dollars?

[progressoid]

12. Same thing that they are going to do to us on the national level soon.