The Great Recession is ending for members of Local 42 of the International Association of Fire Fighters. The City Council of Kansas City, Missouri, yesterday approved a deal that will raise firefighters' salaries by an average of 4.2 percent.
A pretty tasty deal in tough economic times, no? Members of the council say their hands are tied by a previous agreement with the firefighters. That agreement, it should be noted, was reached in 2009, which is not exactly ancient history.
Councilwoman Jan Marcason was on the council two years ago, as were half of her colleagues. She told The Kansas City Star that city officials entered into the pact with the firefighters not knowing the extent of the economic downturn.
The future is hard to predict, of course. But dag, Jan, the outlook was pretty grim in 2009. The economy wasn't running around with its hair on fire, as it was in 2008. But experts were predicting that the United States would make a slow recovery. Here's Fortune in late 2008:
What kind of a recovery is likely to follow? The answer is: probably a gradual one, unlike the more typical (but not universal) pattern of the economy coming out of most past recessions roaring ahead, propelled by pent-up consumer demand."We're a little wiser now," Marcason said this week. OK. But how about next time you try to be smart in real time.
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They've had a pay freeze for the last three years. Inflation averages 3.1% per year, so let's do the math. Value of the dollar goes down 9.3% - increase in pay of 4.2% = their dollars are still worth 5.1% LESS than they would have been three years ago. Yet, articles like this make it seem like firefighters are getting rich. Get your heads out of your behinds reporters and take a look at the big picture.
You can't be serious. They vote was 11-1. She didn't break a tie. So, it doesn't matter how she voted. Take a chill pill.
Hey, I just wanted to thank you for getting something right. Another newspaper in Kansas City reported that the city agreed to the contract before the recession.
It wouldn't make much since for the fire department to agree to working 52.5 hours a week instead of 49.5 for free, giving up 3 days off a year for free, taking straight pay for overtime, and freezing all pay for going on three years now. But, when has that newspaper ever got it right.
And before you(yes you, the Pitch) start inciting the city to go burn down fire station you might know that this like a 50 cent raise. Also, since the recession the average pay in the US has increased by 8%. What makes it worse is the average CEO pay over the last year has increased by 25%. Also, 4.2 percent is actually about half of what inflation has been since the recession. So, thanks for writing a negative article on how we make less now than we did three years ago.
If you think that a 50 cent raise is a "tasty deal" or is "hefty" you really need to go take a look at yourself. Maybe instead go talk about some guy on Wall Street who just bought a new yacht with your 401k money. I have never understood why in this country the masses complain more about someone who makes 15 bucks an hour as undeserving and ripping off the system but some Walmart exec exploiting the poor is okay because he worked hard to get there.
I actually thought when I first clicked on your article you might be happy. Something like, "look the firefighters might be able to afford groceries this week." Or "good for those guys, the working man sure could use a break."
Instead, I guess you just get a A+ in trying to step on the working class. When you complain about all the good jobs being gone you can just point to yourself.
Well lets see no raises for three and one half years that = about 1.3% per year wow thats a heck of a rasie for most it means a .35 cent per our per year, oh you are some greedy basta!ds.
First of all folks its called a collective bargaining agreement. For those of you who don't know what that means, its a contract which is legally binding. A contract that is agreed on both sides. In 2009 the city came to the fire department and asked for help. The asked us to take 3 year pay freezes, work overtime without getting paid overtime. Increase our work weeks from 49 hours to 52 hours (a pay cut). We had people promoted to the rank of Captain without getting paid on the Captain's pay scale. We had firefighters stuck at just over $12 an hour. I myself work 3 part time jobs on top of the 52 hours a week I was putting in at the fire station. We saved the city and tax payers a ton of money and were promised we would be put back where we were supposed to be on the pay scale if we took the cuts. Now the city council wants to play politics and claim they were forced to this and rub our names through the mud and make us out to be the bad guys so people will still vote for them next election. Sorry but costing the city an additional 5 million a year so I can quit working over 100 hours a week isn't going to bother me all to much, especially when we have failed projects like the billion dollar failed Power and Light district costing us $15 million a year. Sorry but those stupid decisions and mistakes should be on the backs of the city workers.
When I look at the union busting going on in Wisconsin, I can sympathize with unions. But when I look at the greed, lies and outright thuggery of Local 42, it makes me wish we could import a bit of the union-busting ideas.
I will certainly think twice when it comes to supporting ANY of the current city council members who voted for the excessive raises.
Also, what will it take to launch an investigation of the ethically challenged Cirrco who refuses to abstain from voting in order to vote for raises for her husband and his cronies? Such votes are surely a clear conflict of interest.
4.2% isn't exactly hefty. If the city can't afford it then they should take it away from the police budget. They obviously don't need it if you look at all the unsolved crimes in the city.
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