Tulsa Police - the cars do not belong to them - they are paid by our tax money!

[tulsa_fan]

And if the mayor had signed the MOUs back in early December when the union presented them, I wonder how many jobs would have been saved?  Had the mayor signed them then, maybe the entire "neogitiation" process might have gone differently, the union stepped forward in good faith, stop the take home cars, change time off procedures, they started saving money right away; the mayor didn't accept it.  The mayor says more jobs could have been saved if the union had made more concessions, the truth is if they would have done things "his way" . . . there could have been a middle ground here, the union tried to find it, the mayor didn't.  It was his all or nothing proposal, not the unions.

To say the union screwed their junior members is also BS.  90% of the membership rejected his offer, that means a lot of the officers who are getting laid off voted that way too.  They saw through the BS and walk away with their heads high.  There were many arguments in my home the last few weeks as I defended the mayor's option and reasons the union should accept it, in the end, the union's position has been backed up over and over again; it's the mayor who continues to change the rules and is playing politics with my safety.  Next he'll agree to use the JAG money, and we'll hire back even more.  Then attrition will come into affect, and next year, we'll have a much lower salary budget (retirements, attrition in management and officers who are going to other departments) and the short term fix the union has promoted all along will be accomplished.  We found a way to meet the budget restrictions through the end of the fiscal year, and we already have decreased next year's budget significantly.  WOW, could be it be the union's plan has been right?  Even I am shocked at that, but more and more it's showing to be true.

[patric]

KOTV is now reporting 31 jobs saved by not letting officers drive Tulsa cars to their out-of-Tulsa homes:

"TULSA, OK -- Of the 155 Tulsa police officers that were expected to be laid off on Friday, 31 of those jobs have been saved. Now, 124 officers are expected to be laid off."

[Rico]

"To say the union screwed their junior members is also BS."

Yes unfortunately that is exactly what we have here..... BS


The definition of which is "Bartlett and Simonson"

Oh, I forgot Chuck.

[Conan71]

I'm not taking one side or another, but I really don't see what the point was in the union ultimately playing hardball with the city instead of taking pay cuts and other concessions.  They are saying 60 or so union members voted for the cuts instead of layoffs (okay this point is sketchy without seeing the ballot).  That would mean over 90 officers voted for the elimination of their own job, basically (under the 155 layoffs scenario before the subtraction for the 31 re-hires) and accepted a chincy severance package?

[patric]

And if the mayor had signed the MOUs back in early December when the union presented them, I wonder how many jobs would have been saved?  Had the mayor signed them then, maybe the entire "neogitiation" process might have gone differently

Maybe the Mayor didnt really expect the FOP would kick 155 of it's members who havent been paying union dues long enough out into the snow?   It's pretty clear the union's loyalty is to itself.

[RecycleMichael]

Maybe the Mayor didnt really expect the FOP would kick 155 of it's members who havent been paying union dues long enough out into the snow?   It's pretty clear the union's loyalty is to itself.

I think you are right. I didn't believe they would vote to layoff the new officers.

I don't think the officers who voted to eliminate their jobs took a completely objective view to the situation. They continued to hear the union perspective about how the Mayor was being unfair and thought their vote would be a message back to him.

They were wrong and are now unemployed. I feel bad for them, they became pawns in a chess game about their future.