Layoffs Among Clallam County Employees
Clallam County will have to lay off thirty workers in order to balance a $2.4 million budget shortfall.
The eight unions that represent Clallam County employees were asked to either accept a one-year waiver on a pre-negotiated 3% cost of living increase, or take 24 unpaid days off. They declined both options. County Administrator Jim Jones said:
“If the unions would agree to that, we would not lay off anybody this year. We would still be about $800,000 short in being able to completely eliminate the shortfall if that had happened, but we would make up the $800,000. That was a reasonable use of reserves, which would buy us time to look for other ways to raise that revenue, perhaps in the form of a small public safety tax.”
The eight unions that represent Clallam County employees were asked to either accept a one-year waiver on a pre-negotiated 3% cost of living increase, or take 24 unpaid days off. They declined both options. County Administrator Jim Jones said:
“If the unions would agree to that, we would not lay off anybody this year. We would still be about $800,000 short in being able to completely eliminate the shortfall if that had happened, but we would make up the $800,000. That was a reasonable use of reserves, which would buy us time to look for other ways to raise that revenue, perhaps in the form of a small public safety tax.”
Labels: Clallam County, Clallam County Administrator Jim Jones, Clallam County budget
posted by Tom Harper at 5:39 PM
21 Comments:
I can sure see both sides of this one. No union wants to make a concession like this, because of the precedent it sets. BUT, in a non-perfect world, it seems like the better option than letting workers be laid off. I think a little flexibility would be called for here.
Just saying.
From PDN site:
Posted by Occupy Port Angeles on Wed, Oct 5, 2011, 8:22 pm Pacific Time.
This is more than just a city problem. This is more than a county problem. This is more than a national problem. This IS a global problem. There is a movement going on right now. It is happening around the world. It is happening while you sit here and argue politics from behind a keyboard. It is happening and you are missing out. We are here to spread the word:
Enough is enough.
We are the 99% of America that has lived with political, economic, social, and environmental injustice for too long. We will no longer stay silent about the massive transfer of wealth from the majority of America to the 1% who have used their economic power to usurp our democracy. We will rise up and with one voice say NO!
You are a part of that voice, so make your voice heard.
The rest of us are struggling with higher costs, lower wages -- why should a bunch of county workers not share the pain?
Good, let them get laid off.
The union was not thinking of the best interests of the members. Why in the hell are COUNTY WORKERS unionized, anyway? Last I hear there were never slave labor conditions, or hazards for paper pushers.
They are unionized because that have the right to be. It's called freedom of assembly and freedom of speech. These are rights gauranteed to us as Americans.
Here's something else that's going on at the County that Jim Jones does NOT want you to know about...
The County Director of Human Resources, Marge Upham, is going to be retiring soon. You'd think that this would mean there's going to be a job opening, right? WRONG! Rather than open this up to a local, regional or national job search, here's what the County is going to do.
A memo was sent out to all department heads, informing them that if they, or anyone they wanted to pick, wanted to do 9 months of unpaid training, then the Director of Human Resources job would be theirs.
No open call for applicants. No attempt to find the best, most qualified candidate. Instead, it was just an opportunity for department heads, and their cronies, to get get ahead by shortchanging locals and gaming the system.
So, Rich Sill, who currently works in Code Enforcement, is in line to take this critical position. Now, for those who don't know Rich, let me tell you that he insists on wearing a shirt with a badge sewn onto it, and on carrying a gun. Now imagine that he's coming to your property - about some sort of code issue - packing a gun. Great public relations for Clallam County, right? (One wonders if he'll still carry the gun while doing HR work?)
Mr. Sill has also cost the County quite a bit of money for settlements with employees that he has hounded out for not falling into line with his macho attitude. So you have to ask yourself: Does the County REALLY want someone in charge of HR who has already cost them tens of thousands of dollars (at a minimum) over wrongful terminations?
And think in terms of these current negotiations. Does the County REALLY want someone with NO HR experience in the real world dealing with unions? Does the County REALLY want someone who has been the subject of employee complaints being the person employees are supposed to come to with complaints? And again, is the County REALLY going to put someone who has been behind wrongful terminations, and costly settlements over those terminations, to be the head of Human Relations? To be in charge of hiring?
Now, I posted some of this information yesterday (Wednesday the 5th) on the PDN's website - and it was taken down within an hour. I can only assume that Jim Jones, who reads and posts at the PDN site, had it taken down. Not because this is false information. Not because it's in any way libelous. No, he doesn't want YOU to know because, in his heart, Jim Jones himself knows that this arrangement stinks, and is NOT going to be well-received. But I think this is important information for the public to have. So thanks, Tom, for this forum.
In closing, I urge anyone reading this who is interested to ask your County Commissioners about this. Ask Jim Jones about this. Don't let the County screw you over. Ask questions, get involved.
anon 10:24
Lest remember, the 1% you persecute, employees the majority of the rest. Drive them away and you can all be poor together
Anon 11:33
The county is unionized because the county leaders cannot take a position for or against the union, they just let the union in and this is what you get. The only fix is to replace them. There are plenty that would cross a picket line to keep their cushy jobs and plenty more to fill the gaps.
Thanks to "Anonymous II" for that post.
So, now the mentally ill, and/or willfully ignorant people want to fire County Administrator Jim Jones. In the last month I have seen calls to fire Kent Myers, Tom Keegan, Eric Lewis, Steve Burkett, Governor Gregoire and, of course president Obama. As I stated before, WHY WOULD ANYBODY BE WILLING TO WORK IN PUBLIC SERVICE NOWADAYS? What do they get, long hours, low pay (compared to any equally responsible position in the Private Sector)and nothing but criticism and grief.
""It's called freedom of assembly and freedom of speech.""
Right. So, let them go over to that "free speech zone" (3 or 4 miles from anywhere) and rally. Don't know if you've been paying attention but we don't really have that freedom anymore.
As for unionization. I'm all for it, to improve working conditions and limit hazards. But, government workers are the LAST PEOPLE who need unionizing. Their wages shouldn't be more than 10% over the average wage of the average citizen in the town they work in. PERIOD.
"Lest remember, the 1% you persecute, employees the majority of the rest..."
There's some typos there. Here, I'll fix it...
"Let's remember, the 1% you persecute employs the majority of the rest... in India and China"
The rich have no use for middle class America anymore except to fund their bailouts and their golden parachutes. They won't rest until the 99% is at poverty level and paying 99% of the taxes which will be used to pay for their wars and maintaining their businesses. No social security, no infrastructure, nothing that benefits the lower class. Talk about a class war!
"As for unionization. I'm all for it, to improve working conditions and limit hazards. But, government workers are the LAST PEOPLE who need unionizing. "
Yes, as was said before: We support freedom, as long as you do, think, act and propose things we agree with.
anon 10:16
Lest means
"in case"
such as "in case you forgot", or "in case you don't remember"
Look it up before you criticize
anon 10:16
you should think before you speak
http://economics.about.com/od/smallbigbusiness/a/us_business.htm
read this, 52% of all US employees work for small business, this is the 1% capitalist if referring too
and, small and medium businesses are taxed higher than large businesses. Health care costs (to provide as benefits for employees) are significantly higher. Government oversight is more intense (with more fees, permits etc.). No wonder why small to mid-sized businesses are going under at an astounding rate.
"Government oversight is more intense (with more fees, permits etc.). No wonder why small to mid-sized businesses are going under at an astounding rate."
We see that here on the Olympic Peninsula. Small businesses were not affected by the big box stores. It isn't that consumers are drawn to the big box stores. There are more consumers than the stores can possibly serve.
So, we see that it is only government permit fees that are causing the closures. Has nothing to do with the big stores.
anon 10:24,
wtf are you talking about?
anon 10:24,
wtf are you talking about?
Isn't it clear? The small businesses in Port Angeles and Sequim that have closed, did so because of increased government fees.
The parking lots of Home Depot(a large corporate store)are empty because the consumers spend their money at the small stores in town. No one shops at Wal-Mart, Office Depot, Ross, etc.
The closures of small stores throughout North America has nothing to do with increased competition from the "big box stores". What a silly idea.
I saw the post about GE not paying any taxes of $15 billion in profits. Clearly, government fees are really hurting them.
dumb-bunny...big box stores get tax breaks, they get special treatment, they also don't have the same oversight and scrutiny, and pay less taxes than a small store.
Let's be sensible. You think that a small store can have the type of tax loophole specialists on staff to find every darn way to show losses? Do you think that a small company, providing health care has the same deal with the insurance companies for 5 employees than a store that either stomps all over government rules (and only has part time, casual employees, therefore is not required to provide health insurance) or can make a deal for 5,000 policies? (Group policies are cheaper than individual ones. fyi) Do you think that it hurts a big store if they violate health laws? (What about the stupid old PA Walmart that had human sewage rolling across the highway from their undersized septic retention pond. Why do you think there was a septic pumper truck there almost daily in wet weather? The most that Walmart ever did was pay some fines. No big deal to them.)
You are so off the mark and so obviously naive, that I am going to assume that you are: a. a local school graduate; b. not in the top of your class, and no college, c. you believe what you read in the newspapers, and hear on tv, and don't really do much other reading.
anon 10:53
i recommend you take a logic class, your argument is not logical
And the answer to the statement "No wonder why small to mid-sized businesses are going under at an astounding rate." is???
Sorry my sarcasm was so lame.
really hard to tell sarcasm with the local low IQ's. Hard to live in a place where some people are amazing and intelligent, and the rest are country bumpkins who start breeding too young, and think that television reality shows are real, that Walmart has "good prices", and that government is looking out for us.
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