Dewey: Police and Fire Unions out of hand

[Ed W]

When you read the story in the World from the bottom up, it makes more sense:

"The city recently reached agreements with the police and firefighter unions on contracts on fiscal year 2014, which ends Monday, but not without first going to arbitration. An arbitrator ruled in favor of police; a separate arbitrator ruled against firefighters."

The fiscal year ends Monday, so new negotiations will begin. This is merely Dewey's opening salvo.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/government/mayor-says-it-s-time-to-reassess-police-fire-contracts/article_519ed8d0-b29c-5a44-ba5c-79ba83e65c33.html

[Vashta Nerada]

When you read the story in the World from the bottom up, it makes more sense:

If you look at police unions as organized crime, it makes even more sense.

[AquaMan]

Why would you do that? You had a bad experience with a cop or a union? Or just inherited the anti-union, anti-authority gene so prevalent nowadays?

The nature of policing today, whether you think its over the top or not gestapo enough, is the result of the environment they work in (massive drug driven crime) and the leadership they work under. Leadership at this point in time sucks all over: union, government and business. Its basically CYA, cronyism and I got mine you get your own.

Dewey, and politicians like him, would have them all working for minimum wage with high school degrees if there were no union to advance their interests. Yet, they all want the support of fire and police when the elections roll around. And Dewey didn't get that in the last election.

[RecycleMichael]

The local chapter of Fraternal Order of Police have not endorsed an incumbent Mayor for re-election in my lifetime. Never.

There was never a Mayor good enough for them. Ever.

What does that say about their endorsement?

[AquaMan]

They endorsed Taylor in the last election didn't they? Not an incumbent, but pretty close.

[Vashta Nerada]

The local chapter of Fraternal Order of Police have not endorsed an incumbent Mayor for re-election in my lifetime. Never.

There was never a Mayor good enough for them. Ever.

What does that say about their endorsement?

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/government/bartlett-accuses-police-union-of-misleading-the-public/article_5d1ac590-584f-5a25-a088-136d662cb2c9.html
Bartlett said the police union or its supporters have made the following claims that are not true or are misleading:

Police union: Officers are promised satisfactory performance increases (SPIs).

Bartlett: "They (the union) are just giving their opinion. It is not their responsibility, much less their capability of binding the city to that kind of thing." The SPIs, Bartlett argues, are negotiated as part of a police officer's annual contract.

Police union: $1 million cost of providing SPIs in fiscal year 2015 would be covered by attrition — or loss of officers due to retirement.

Bartlett: Mayor says the rate of attrition is not high enough to offset the cost of the SPIs.

Police union: Officers from other cities earn higher starting pay.

Bartlett: The police union compares its pay to larger cities such as Austin, Texas and Dallas, which have different structures of government and different revenue sources. Tulsa police officers starting salary is $45,507, the highest in the area, with Broken Arrow second at $39,468.

Police union: Police do not generate revenue by which they can fund their department, like some other city departments can.

Bartlett: Parking tickets, speeding tickets and other fees generated by the police department go into the city's general fund, where they are dispersed among all departments, including the police department. The same is true for other departments.

[RecycleMichael]

They endorsed Taylor in the last election didn't they? Not an incumbent, but pretty close.

Not close at all. 

They even endorsed Randi Miller.

[AquaMan]

This is a political battle of wills. They supported Taylor because they felt she would deal with them better than Dewey would. Your wife was involved with that campaign. What was her take?

Dewey can't hide his combative personality when it comes to having his way. The council is aware of that as well.

Police and Fire are political animals. Their use of a union to represent them does not make them an organized criminal enterprise as described above.

[tulsa_fan]

Imagine that, Dewey's own "facts" aren't true.  I just took this off the BAPD website, starting salary for officers is $42,483.17.    Starting is at 52,008, and is at $60,213 in 2.5 years in Arlington Texas with a 2011 population of 374k, seems like a pretty reasonable comparison, Oklahoma City officers start at $52,387.

Further, if the average officer makes $72k a year (can't recall what the Tulsa World claimed, regardless it was bogus anyway), but we'll go with it.  And typical attribution is 3-5 officers retiring/resigning a month . . . let's use the LOW number of 3 x 12 = 36  . . . . 36 x 72,000 = $2,592,000 . . . . . and of course, the officers retiring are at the top of the pay scale, so this is by far a VERY conservative estimate . . . again, Dewey's claim of attribution not covering $1M is bogus.

As usual with Dewey, the money is there, he just won't budge.  Dewey has increased the amount of spending in each of his budgets while in office.  The money has been there all along for a reasonable step increase for all employees, he has just chosen to battle the unions rather than do what is in the best interest of the city and its employees.

I don't always agree with what the FOP asks for and fights against, but in this case, they have made a very reasonable request, within the constraints of the budget and Dewey is just fighting to fight.

[heironymouspasparagus]

So,...who are the idiots that voted Dewby back in?  And will they admit it?