Scranton's Public Workers Now Paid Minimum Wage

Discussion in 'Current Events' started by Naruto, Jul 9, 2012.

  1. Naruto

    Naruto Well-Known Member

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    The city of Scranton, Pa., sent out paychecks to its employees Friday, like it does every two weeks. But this time the checks were much smaller than usual. Mayor Chris Doherty has reduced everyone's pay — including his own — to the state's minimum wage: $7.25 an hour.

    Doherty says his city has run out of money.

    Scranton has had financial troubles for a couple of decades — the town has been losing population since the end of World War II. But the budget problems became more serious in recent months as the mayor and the city council fought over how to balance the budget.

    Doherty wants to raise taxes to fill a $16.8-million gap. The city council wants to take a different approach and borrow money. City council members did not respond to NPR's requests to discuss the dispute.

    http://www.npr.org/2012/07/07/156416876/scrantons-public-workers-pay-cut-to-minimum-wage

    Well union workers, at least you get to keep your benefits.
     
  2. Consmike

    Consmike New Member Past Donor

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    Hey, if there is no money, there is no money.
     
  3. Naruto

    Naruto Well-Known Member

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    The paid their workers MW and only have $5K left in the bank. Unlike our federal government, Scranton can't print money.
     
  4. jcarlilesiu

    jcarlilesiu Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    What a sad state of affairs.

    Lets review the city budget. I am going to go dig it up.
     
  5. jcarlilesiu

    jcarlilesiu Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    LMAO

    I go to grab the budget, and right on the top of the Cities website, so proudly it states in huge letters

    Pennsylvania's Progressive City


    http://www.scrantonpa.gov/business_admin.html


    It doesn't get much richer than that. Ok sorry, onwards. Lets look at the budget.
     
  6. jcarlilesiu

    jcarlilesiu Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Once again, its union benefits that are bankrupting this city.

    Bureau of Police: Total Compensation 16.6 million Police operating expenses (non-salary) is 241 THOUSAND.

    Of the benefits, 4.3 million goes to health insurance and 1.5 million goes to pensions. 8 million in standard salary not even including "other salary" "longevity salary", "overtime salary", "court appearance salary"...

    I would say they need to start laying cops off.

    Oh, wait, can't do that.

    The fire department is about the same.

    With the city bringing in about 38 million in revenue, the police and fire SALARIES AND BENEFITS alone are costing them 33.4 of all revenues.

    Holy (*)(*)(*)(*).

    No wonder its a sinking ship.
     
  7. Agent_286

    Agent_286 New Member

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    Scranton, Pennsylvania: City Workers Battle Mayor Over Minimum Wage Pay Cuts

    AP | 07/10/2012 11:01 am
    Excerpts:

    SCRANTON, Pa. - "Unions representing workers in the northeastern Pennsylvania city of Scranton expect to file a federal lawsuit against the city after Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty abruptly cut their pay to minimum wage. The workers in question are largely firefighters, public works employees, and police officers, according to FoxNews.com.

    Doherty last week cut the pay for roughly 400 employees to the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. He says it was the only way for the cash-strapped city to pay bills, and promises to restore pay once finances are stabilized. Last week, Scranton's business administrator told The Huffington Post that the city will have only $5,000 left over after paying its workers minimum wage this week.

    Doherty is locked in a dispute with Scranton's city council over a financial recovery plan as it faces a $16.8 million budget deficit."


    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/...nimum-wage_n_1661488.html?utm_hp_ref=business
    ......

    Is Scranton, Pa the ghetto of the nation or what? Whatever induced the city council to let the situation get to such a deplorable level that they couldn't afford to pay seasoned workers their salaries? Did every city worker get their pay cut to minimu, wage...including the city council and the mayor?

    When candidates running for president of this nation can spend billions of dollars for attack ads in an effort to buy the presidency, and republicans in Congress obstruct anything that will get us out of this recession while cities go bankrupt for lack of jobs...you have got to admit that our priorities are totally screwed up.

    We are all watching an obstructive, radical Congress at non-work, banks and corporations holding back doing business and hiring until after the election, and both President Obama and candidate Romney trying to muster up some reasons why any American should vote for them, to the detriment and uninterest in our unemployed Americans. We are waiting for our elected officials to do something other than on a strictly partisan basis and do it instead for the American good. Perhaps then our cities and states will not have to succeumb to backruptcy.
     
  8. Subdermal

    Subdermal Banned

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    You really don't know why Scranton is in this situation? Because Scranton has been run by Democrats for a very long time - and they have been raising taxes and fees for a very long time, killing the health of their tax base (which has run away).

    Liberal economic policy does not work. It fails when it runs out of other people's money.

    Now, the Democrat Mayor wishes to increase taxes another 29% - up to 78% more over the next 3 years - as if that will work.

    :lol:
     
  9. Subdermal

    Subdermal Banned

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    Scranton resident with truth:

     
  10. ELOrocks17

    ELOrocks17 New Member

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    Chalk up another "Victory" for the Obummer (mis)administration
     
  11. jcarlilesiu

    jcarlilesiu Well-Known Member Past Donor

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  12. jcarlilesiu

    jcarlilesiu Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Why does the progressive left have nothing to say about another failed "progressive city"?

    The economic policies you all support are right here for evaluation. Yet all we get is crickets.
     
  13. sec

    sec Well-Known Member

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    let's dissect your post in a few sections

    first, thanks again for a thought provoking piece from Huffpo. Your threads here save me from ever having to go to that leftist site

    I agree that the employees should not have their wages arbitrarily cut without agreeing to the cuts. I don't care if a janitor is making $250k per year. If he/she was hired at that salary then so be it. The city can however cut staff by as much as needed and shut down services such as parks/recreation, libraries, street lights, street sweeping and even road repair.

    The problem is once again another example of elected officials not performing their fiduciary duties to the taxpayers. We see that more and more now as unions and liberalism have broken our backs.

    Now, to the point of buying an election and obstruction and business not hiring-

    that is quite simple to remedy. Since business and comsumers have minimal confidence in the rpesent adminsitration then the answer is obvious- we toss them out. You yourself just now wrote a problem.You are not going to convince people and businesses that the current admin is wonderful so if you want the purses opened, give them what they want, a new administration and the purses will open.
     
  14. Subdermal

    Subdermal Banned

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  15. sec

    sec Well-Known Member

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    as much as I despise Obama's policies he did not do this to Scranton. Yes, he subscribes to the same idiotic ideas which got the city to where they are.

    What you can do is point to yet another failure in liberalism. Let me tell you, it is tough to look to people and say we can't afford that. You are not popular when you do that. Now we see a knee-jerk reaction from the liberal politicians who created this mess and now use emergency workers as pawns.
     
  16. Agent_286

    Agent_286 New Member

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    .....

    Your extremely biased reasoning for the state of Scranton's difficulties doesn't quite jell, saying that it is because of a Democratic government, and raising taxes, and killing the health of the tax base....but all those are just colloquial republican regurgitations.

    West Las Vegas is republican run and they cannot pay their police, firemen, library workers and have just decllared a state of emergency in one of the highest taxed states in the country....people are screaming that they need rudimentary protection and cannot get it because the police have been fired.

    Scranton, Pa. sounds like an inhospitable place to begin with...maybe corporations are waiting for the election to see who wins?
     
  17. JIMV

    JIMV Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    I have never understood why so many on the left fervently believe math simply does not apply to them..Got a million, make promises to spend a million and a half, year after year after year until one gets where Scranton is and then blame not the idiot politicians who made the promises or the folk demanding and getting the money, but instead blame evil republicans for noting the liberal politicians are nude, again...and are most assuredly NOT a pretty sight.

    I am reminded of flipping on the light in a less than clean room and watching the roaches scurry for cover...I am sure the roaches blame the evil fellow who turned on the light for their distress...
     
  18. sec

    sec Well-Known Member

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    you can't look at the immediate office holders and place all the blame, be they liberal or conservative. One needs to go back 30,40, 50 years. Were unions allowed in? Were hands tied due to union work rules? Were wages set too high given the skill needed to perform the job? Was outsourcing implemented and if so, far enough in advance. For example, trash removal can be done more cost effectively when outsourced. The same goes for mowing lawns, keeping up cemetaries, running libraries etc etc. The employees need not be municipal employees with fat wages and benefits.

    What we now have are the lessons are not being learned. It will take people of strong moral fiber to stand up against what poor fiscal policy has created and fix it.
    The unions will fight it, the media will criticize it and liberals will cry out in aguish.

    The question for Scranton is similar to the one being posed in the 2012 national election

    Do we as a people have the testicular fortitude to do what is right or, will we deny the obvious and allow liberalism to continue and bring the country and municipalities even further into the abyss.

    Personally, I still hold hope for America. I believe that if we fix the mistake of 08, that states and municipalities will follow the lead and do the same going forward. Yes, it will be hard work but it is needed to get things back in the right direction.
     
  19. JIMV

    JIMV Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    The problem is when they fire everyone but do not replace them in any manner. If they had a passel of $100K a year employees fired and announced positions for the same number of $50K employees, they would be overwhelmed with applicants. I believe the minimum wage idea is pretty clever. Perhaps they will next decide to renegotiate their impossible to pay wages and benefits.
     
  20. jcarlilesiu

    jcarlilesiu Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    I can't seem to find any official City of West Las Vegas.

    Can you point me to their website.
     
  21. sec

    sec Well-Known Member

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    I disagree and I'm as conservative as they come

    first and foremost, the "city fathers" have an obligation and duty to the taxpayers. They are to provide basic services for which taxes are collected.

    Yes, the residents are to balme for electing irresponsible people. But, it is what it is right now.

    An outside "receiver" type person must be brought in and have him/her decide which services are vital and to look at available funds. They then ask for outsourcing bids and give the municipal workers an option to meet the cost levels of the outside firms or be let go. That includes abolishing the unions if need be.

    At the end of the day, vital services must be provided and restored as quickly as possible and as cost effectively as possible. That might even mean 30 kids per classroom. If it can't be done with municipal workers then it gets done with outsourced firms.
     
  22. JIMV

    JIMV Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    The link to the actual budget says it all...The city council approved the 2012 budget...Here is the problem with their effort. In 2011 they had revenues from all sources of $63 million yet they wrote a budget for 2012 of $85 million with $32million going to fire and police....

    Put another way, their budget was based not on what they expected to get in revenues but on a magic 30% increase in those revenues. When that did not happen, there was a $19 million difference between what they expected to spend and what they actually got...

    The city government pretending to be the federal government with printing presses in the basement. Why is any sentient being surprised that costs have to be reduced and that can only be done where the spending is...in personnel.

    I am reminded of my old city of Portland Maine and the school budget follies. Every year the usual crowd of 'educators' arrived to plead poverty and list the many shortfalls in the schools from old books to old buildings yet when the budget increase was passed (and it was always passed) all the extra money always went right into pay and benefit increases for...the teachers. Nary a book was bought or a school repaired unless they could get the feds or state to fund it.
     
  23. Agent_286

    Agent_286 New Member

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  24. JIMV

    JIMV Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    That would sound so much better if we all defined a 'vital' service the same. Is it vital that a city employee get paid much more than his counterpart in the real world? Is all the employment needed. I note the city budget did not include the schools but I would bet that is where the lions share of local tax revenues really went.
     
  25. sec

    sec Well-Known Member

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    schools tend to be the lions share. I recall when I lived in rural NH for a while and every year at town meeting the school budget portion required its own night while everyhting else was handled on another night

    In a county in FL they had a special election to raise the sales tax by 17% to go toward the schools. They called it a penny tax but it was 175 more and it cost $1/2 million taxpayer dollars for the special election vs waiting untl November and doing it during the general election. The reason...........you know.......voters don't turn out for special elections, only the special interest do and it won 60/40.

    Fast forward, a study was done over the past 10 years. The cost per pupil is npow one of the highest in the COUNTRY and guess what...............yup,test scores went D O W N.

    But, the supt got a nice big raise, has a nice mahogany desk and a their offices are in a high rent area.

    Our tax dollars are not well spent or managed and those who work for us are outraged that we dare demand accountability.
     

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