Money Ball Vallejo Style

A Six Million (or so) Dollar Story

By Robert Schussel, Ph.D

10/3/12

Purpose

The purpose of this analysis is to explore in greater depth the "Other Wages" that City of Vallejo employees received in calendar year 2011.

Background

As part of VIB analyses of the City of Vallejo employees 2011 W2 wages it was noted that the category "Other Wages" particularly for those in the IBEW(International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) bargaining unit seemed to have increased significantly from prior years. To better understand the increase that occurred VIB obtained information about the total amount paid out to all employees in 21 "Other Wages" categories available from the Finance Department and the same information for the 20 employees who received the highest amount of "Other Wages" .

Caveats

Some categories (not in the "Other Wages") such as Educational Incentives, Paramedic and EMT pay, Motor Cycle pay ,HazMat pay and Housing Allowance for Reservoir Keepers are included in an employee's base pay. It should be noted that an employee's base salary determines the size of the pension they receive upon retirement.

In the past the total annual cost of Educational Incentives and Paramedic pay was over $750,000.

Bilingual pay is included in both an employee's base wages and the "Other Wage" category.

The total amounts shown for the 21 "Other Wage" categories has been rounded to the nearest $100 as a final audit has not been completed.

Findings

The below table summarizes the Total "Other Wages" received. As noted in the caveats some other wages such as Educational Incentives are not included in the 21 categories provided by the City.

Below is an explanation of specific "Other Wages"

• Bankruptcy Settlement Payments ($2,007,000)

Although the size of an employee's bankruptcy settlement varied greatly the average payout was over $9,000 per IBEW employee.

"The City set aside $6 million into the bankruptcy claims pool. From these funds, we paid IBEW $1,650,000 and their lawyer $450,000 for a total paid to IBEW of $2.1M. We paid IAFF $2,100,000 and their lawyer $900,000 for a total paid to IAFF of $3M. The amount that was paid to each employee was provided by the union. IBEW was paid in 2011 and IAFF was paid in 2012". [email from Deborah Lauchner Finance Director]

• Cafeteria Plan ($1,381,800)

To get around paying 100% of a retirees healthcare insurance the City gives current employees and retirees.$300 per month for health insurance. For current employees a Cafeteria Plan was developed that pays the for the amount between the $300 and 75% to 80% of the cost of a Kaiser HMO plan. VPOA members (police) continue to have 100% of their health insurance paid for and CAMP (management) members have 80% paid for. The remaining employees have 75% of their health insurance paid for by the City..

• Payouts upon leaving service ($1,327,000)

Most of the payouts upon leaving service go to employees in Fire and Police who cash out large amounts of accrued vacation and sick leave. The average amount paid out was $32,254. The top 18 payouts averaged $69,196 .

• Holiday buybacks ($705,300)

Holiday pay is in lieu of taking time off for the holiday. Employees in Fire, Police, Water Plant Operators and Communication Operators are most likely to use this buyback.

• Management Incentive fee ($306,100)

Employees in the CAMP bargaining unit receive a 5% bonus. Unlike Vallejo most Cities do not offer this benefit.

• Medical Flex ( $226,500)

Medical Flex pay is given to employees who elect not to use the City's health insurance plan as they have other coverage. The amount per month varies from $250 to $600 depending on the bargaining unit.

• Uniform allowance ($157,800)

Employees in Fire ,Police and those in IBEW who wear uniforms receive an allowance to defer the cost of their uniforms and keep them clean and in good repair.

• Differential pay ( $121,600)

Examples of differential pay include covering for a co-worker who is out for an extended period,

workload increase, performance of higher-level duties or performance of duties outside of current classification.

• Standby Pay ($108,900)

Employees in IBEW receive one hours pay for every 8 hours of standby and 4 hours if standing by for 24 hours.. Police receive 1.5 hours for each 8 hours and 3 hours if standing by between 5PM and 830AM.

• Acting Pay ($97,000)

An employee is paid at a higher rate for filling in, typically for a manager/supervisor etc.

• Call Back Pay($80,800)

From IBEW MOU Section 2.2 E. Overtime..

.Employees who have completed a regular work shift and are called back to work shall be paid at the overtime rate and shall be paid a minimum of two (2) hours.

Section 2.4 Stand-by From VPOA MOU Section 13.B

Call Back - Employees called back to duty during off-duty hours shall be compensated at the rate of time and one-half for all hours of such call back with a minimum of three hours compensation. This minimum shall not apply when an employee is called back to duty within one (1) hour of a scheduled work shift. In this case, the employee shall receive one hour pay at the rate of time and one-half.

• Longevity Pay ($65,100)

VPOA (police) member with 20 years of police service (8 years can be somewhere else) receive a 5% bonus and those with 25 years of total service receive an additional 10% of their base salary.

• Mayor and City Council Expense Allowance ($47,800)

• Paramedic Preceptor Pay ($16,200)

Vallejo Firefighter/Paramedics who are certified as Preceptors( trainers) in Solano County are compensated on a monthly basis at five percent (5%) above their base salary.

• Canine Pay ($14,900)

Canine Officers receive pay for the care and feeding of their K9 dog. The contract specifies these expenses must have advanced approval. In the past 7.5% of an officers base salary was used.

• Mask Room Pay ($9,800)

Two firefighters are assigned to repair and maintain breathing apparatus. They receive per month 5% of top step of an Engineer base salary.

• Educational Incentives( Chiefs Only) ($9,700)

Police and Fire Chief receive 5% bonus for advanced courses such as POST or a Bachelors degree

• Meal Allowance ($7,000)

As an example the maximum amount a police officer out of town can charge per day for meals is $33.62 .

• Telephone Allowance ($7,000)

Police officers receive $6.53 per month to maintain a telephone.

• Firearms Qualification Pay ($5,300)

Police are paid for the cost of bullets etc to be recertified with their firearms.

• Bilingual Pay

Police and Fire employees whose position qualifies for bilingual pay and pass an exam receive a 1% increase based on their base pay.IBEW members receive $75 per month.

Other types of pay
 

• Computer support A bonus of 5% of base salary is paid for maintaining fire department computer network etc.

• Hazmat pay Fire department employees in the Hazmat team receive a 5% incentive which is included in their base pay.

• EMT/Paramedic Pay Those with an EMT certificate receive a 5% incentive pay and those with a Paramedic Certificate 10% (which is included in an employee's base pay).

• Motorcycle Duty Motorcycle officers receive 2.5% incentive pay which is included in their base pay.

• SWAT team Police officers on the SWAT team receive a 1% bonus which is included in their base pay.

• Educational Incentives for Police and Fire Depending on the number of additional POST or Fire Officer Certification courses taken( or obtaining an AA or Bachelor degrees), employees receive a 3.5% or 5% incentive that is included in their base pay.

COMMENTS

Every time I have done these one of these analyses I continue to find information that I did not expect.

During the bankruptcy employees in IBEW and IAFF (International Association of Firefighters) complained bitterly about the sacrifices they had to make. The reality is that members of both unions took a much smaller hit than what had been portrayed. In fact it appears they were almost made whole with the bankruptcy settlement. In addition VPOA (police) received a $1,000,000 settlement--about $10,000 per member .

While there have been discussion of possible bankruptcy settlements for current employees the City's management has been very quiet about the details--$1.65 million to IBEW members, $2.1 million to IAFF members and $1.35 million to the unions for legal expenses. It is this lack of transparency from the City Manager and his Staff that continues to be a concern-- What else are they hiding from the taxpayers?

The bankruptcy was an opportunity to improve the financial future of Vallejo. Our City negotiators and those City Council members who voted for some of the contracts approved during bankruptcy need to be reminded of the poor job they did. It looks like little if any real improvement has occurred. With binding arbitration removed from the city charter, it is my hope that meaningful changes can occur. Wages need to be cut and employees need to share more in the cost of the benefits. Excessive amounts of vacation and sick leave should be reduced as well as the ability to accrue massive amounts of vacation and sick leave payable upon retirenent. Most educational incentives should be eliminated. In most instances Vallejo only hires fire fighters with the equivalent of an AA degree and police those with a bachelors degree. Why should employees receive additional financial incentives for degrees that are actual or de-facto requirements?

Pressure needs to be applied to the City Manager and City Council to push for contracts that the taxpayers can afford for the long-term and that will allow the City to provide the services we deserve.

Comments

Add New Search RSS

Retired_IBEW   |October.10.2012 Paula, tell your husband to start paying attention to the 'sole source' contracts that department heads have routinely pushed through for years. I can guarantee you that 90% of those should have been subjected to an RFP/RFQ process -there was no need to award them to a single vendor with no price competition..it's a game that department heads play to get contracts awarded to their friends.

wow   |October.10.2012 Paula McConnell....You are an amazing ass to the City of Vallejo. Stop trying to be Hillary Clinton and let your husband do his job...geeez I guess you both wear pants in your home...oh well alternative lifestyle?? Get a life lady ya wing nut

Paula McConnell   |October.09.2012 Thank you Dr. Schussel. This is a magnificent in-depth report that we as citizens very much need. Surely each one of us realizes the amount of time and trouble it took to volunteer this information in such detailed fashion. You are an asset to the citizens and to Vallejo in general! You are truly a great blessing! You are absolutely correct in that we need to pressure top management (City Mgr. Dan Keen) to be more forthcoming and open with financial information. And with respect to the educational "stipends" for the Chiefs, I had always suspected that the former Chief (Nichelini) had obtained his legal education and law degree on the backs of the taxpayers. This is excellent reporting. Thank you for your time, efforts and thoroughly detailed analysis. It is a stupendous effort, and an exemplary example of what the Vallejo staff should be offering. It is my hope that you will forward this article to City Mgr. Keen, as he told me recently when asked if he read the "Independent Bulletin" -and I quote: "I do not read blogs." So please forward it to him just in case he does not read this tremendous reporting analysis on line! Keen, along with the entire staff, needs to come forward with more specific information for all concerned, particularly with respect to finances. Heartfelt thanks are extended to you for all of your great work on behalf of the city of Vallejo. Suffice to say that some of the final decisions made by the previous council with respect to Bankruptcy were injudicious at best.

Anon   |October.09.2012 If Vallejo ever evolves into a well run City it will enact parity in the work place the various fifedoms and pseudo unions/PAC's have too much power all Employees should be treated equally and share the same retirement formula and benefit package , one that is sustainable into the future, by favoring some groups over others COV is exposed to Lawsuite based on discrimination and political favoratism .

Retired_IBEW   |October.08.2012 @Captain, when I retired the formula was 2% at 60. I was 50 when I retired, so I couldn't take a regular retirement I simply had no other options. At that time the City had a policy of not allowing any accommodations for a disability, they would not allow me to return to work without a full medical clearance and my doctor wouldn't give me one. When I worked for the City I watched public safety and CAMP screw the pooch for years. Did it **** me off, hell yes, could I do anything about it..not hardly. The City signed it's own death certificate when it gave public safety 3% at 50 and then retro'd it. That was pure insanity. The City Council apparently had some kind of hero worship for police and fire, nothing was too good or too expensive... I'm very angry about what the City did to Retirees, but it's not because I feel I have some sense of entitlement, but I think that much of the Cities woes were brought on by poor management and when it came time to make cuts, they should have clean up their own house first and gotten rid of managers who made moreof an art out of driving to Starbucks than they did in doing their job, and they could have gotten rid of about 70% of the useless CAMP employees. Then, and only then they should have given all bargaining units equivalent cuts, but they found a way to protect EVERY OTHER bargaining unit in the City except IBEW. For example, fire personnel who retired before 2000 didn't have their health insurance benefit reduced to $300. I don't think CAMP or VPOA's was touched either. That is just not right. I contacted every member of the City Council to 'plead my case' and I was told "contact your union". Well that is great advice since Retired IBEW members are not represented by a Union. When I called the attorney who was hired to 'represent' retirees, and told them I wanted to contest the cut to my health benefits I was told that they had already sold us out so I would have to hire an attorney and fight it on my own, something that I simply could not afford to do. Personally I think 2.7% at 55 is too high. Look at Contra Costa County; they are not in PERS. I think their formula for non public safety is close to 2% at 60 but the employees pay half the cost (not sure if that is all employees or just newer hires). But with all that said, I think the City Council and their hired gun consultant treated IBEW retirees very unfairly and there's not much you can say to me about that that will change my mind

Captain   |October.08.2012 Retired_IBEW What I'm hearing/reading is that you worked 20 years, retired on a 33%disability even though you wanted to continue working and are able, and are only earning a pension of 22k per year thanks to COLA'S. When did you retire? Currently the retirement benefit is 2.7@55, which would mean a pension benefit of 54% of wages after 20 years, plus the 300 per month for retiree medical ($3600 per year), and social security - depending on your age? There is no way for me to understand where you're at based on the limited amount of information you've provided. And I never said IBEW is "getting rich". What I have said is that Vallejo pays IBEW & CAMP employees too much when you consider the wages paid(based on comps that may/may not be comparable when the Vallejo cost of living is factored into the equation), the overly generous 2.7@55 pension formula which is in the top 25% percentile, and then add in the fact they are one of few cities that pay social security benefits on top of that at an additional cost of 6.2% of payroll. Add the pensions and Social Security together and Vallejo is in the top 1% of retirement benefit costs - and Vallejo IBEW & CAMP members are in the top 1% of non-safety retirement benefit recipients. I'm tired of hearing about how the bargaining groups have given up so much in raises for retirement benefits and increased pensions. They've taken every the city has which is the reason Vallejo went bankrupt - and may do so again. With that said, Retired_IBEW, I am a fan of yours. I hope you can share additional details regarding your retirement (so I can make sense of it), and I certianly expect/hope you challenge everything I've just said. And let's not lose sight of employee total compensation vs. median family income. I know that isn't the only consideration when determing employee comp, benefits, and pension payouts/costs, but it should be a consideration anytime a new tax or fee is proposed to fund compensation and pension benefits. IBEW is only getting screwed in relation to what public safety & CAMP are getting away with. By any other measure they're doing pretty well. My two cents.

worker   |October.08.2012 one more thing all of the VIB'ers accused the cops of using scare tactics. Well hate to inform you but Vallejo is a freaking warzone and you want to cut public safety even more...news flash I am not a cop but I know a few and they are good people not matter what you think and they want whats best for their families just like you...

worker   |October.08.2012 The raise was scheduled long before we finally got it only after deferring several times before. Yes IBEW got screwed but it wasn't the cops and firemen who screwed them.

Anon   |October.08.2012 @ Worker you seem to have a Us against them mindset have you forgotten just who you work for and who signs your paycheck if you took a raise while IBEW Members were cut who screwed who .

******off   |October.08.2012 So you admit IBEW got screwed well that is a start now please tell us who was doing the screwing of both IBEW and Vallejo taxpayers .

worker   |October.08.2012 ****ed off....don't blame us because you had WEAK representation at the table. If you could have had a better deal you would have taken it! Stop your hatred toward VPD and VFD and face the fact you got screwed because YOUR reps did not know how to protect you...VPD gave over the years too...so stop bad mouthing us

****ed off   |October.07.2012 IBEW took it in the ass all the while they fixed and repaired the fire trucks and police units just to not have any layoffs of the less seniour workers by giving up EARNED benefits and COLA raises this went on for decades their solidaraty was their worst enemy as the PSU'S took all they could RAPE while IBEW GAVE and GAVE dont even try to re-invent history IBEW gave their EARNED benefits and PAY to VPD and VFD . What ever happened to the 18 Labourers who maintained our City's infrastructure and streets they were eliminated and replaced by administrative positions in City hall enter the Craig Whitless era where the needs of the Citesen are second to the needs of the priveledged class as in VPD VFD AND the CAMP Pirates et:all you see the raping of Vallejo has been going on for some time and the big money guys in City hall dont have the BALLS or the motive to challenge anything because their pay is now linked to PSU compensation . The collective raping of our City is EPIC soon we need a total re-construction of our Governmental structure "a compleate re do" from the TOP down . Managers should spend days digging ditches in winter and laying asphalt in summer so as to know each position in COV any less and they cant know enough to properly supervise and administrate . Any PO on Administrative leave should shift to public works to keep their salary clad in work clothes they would blend right in some labour work just might be the best thing for them , nothing like some ditch digging to put things in perspective . years ago I was a Journeyman in a trade union and earned more than a shop Supervisor in IBEW so dont give us a bunch of crap! they gave to keep all their co-workers whole while VFD-VFD and CAMP raped them and took all they could . Our City is no better than it's infrastructure so next time a pothole whipes out your front end send the bill to the PSU'S .

Retired_IBEW   |October.07.2012 another thing to consider IBEW gave up several pay raises in order to get lifetime medical for retirees, in retrospect that was a totally stupid thing for the Union to have done because had they taken the pay raises that would have served to increase our retirement, but who would have thought that the City would go after retirees (who are not represented by any union) and at the same time give Police a pay raise...

Retired_IBEW   |October.07.2012 @Captain if you are talking about me when you say "Retired IBEW" then I need to straighten a few things out. I worked for the city for 20 years and retired on disability because the City refused to give me a simple accommodation that would have allowed me to work for another 20 years, I begged them to either modify my job, or at least allow me to transfer to another position, even if it meant a pay cut but they said that was not their policy so I had no choice but to retire. When I retired I got 33% for a disability pension and that is fully taxable. With COA increases that amounts to about $22,000 a year pre-tax. Yes, I get lifetime medical but now the City contribution does not even start to cover the premium. I got a 'pay out' from bankruptcy of less than $1,000 because the city reduced their health insurance contribution a year before it was approved by the bankruptcy judge. I love it how you talk **** about how rich EVERYONE gets working for the City of Vallejo because I had a different experience

Anonymous   |October.07.2012 The bankruptcy attorney and the CM (Tanner) recommended approval

Anonymous   |October.06.2012 Who approved this CAMP contract DURING BANKRUPTCY? Who gave raises and gold plated retirement and free healthcare for police DURING BANKRUPTCY? Erin Hannigan. She's bailing on Vallejo after agreeing to these crazy contracts DURING BANKRUPTCY and wants you to vote for her for supervisor. JUST SAY NO to Erin Hannigan. Lets end her political career here, we don't need her moving up the political ladder. Btw, Hermie Sunga, who also approved those contracts, wants you to vote for Hannigan too. Because if she won, his buddy Jess Malgapo would take over Hannigan's seat. Malgapo has already sold himself to the employee unions because Hermie told him to. Not very bright. How would you like TWO HERMIES representing you? JUST SAY NO to Hannigan.

Anonymous   |October.06.2012 -Longevity Pay in the "Other Wage" category is for CAMP members. VPOA Longevity is included in their base salary. -Medical Flex for IBEW employees is only about $45 per month. CAMP's Medical Flex is about $700. -Newly hired CAMP members have 80% of their health paid for, all other CAMP members have 100% covered (20% through the Cafeteria Plan). -Management Incentive Pay is received by all CAMP members, not just those in a management position. Also, Directors receive this pay as well as the City Attorney and City Manager.

wharf rat   |October.05.2012 My Father served in the U.S Navy with commendations and an honorible discharge repleate with Letters of recomendation from his Commanding Officers and Division Comanders . He then went on to Employment with the University Of California as he had two Degrees before his Navy service the sixteen years he Educated our Young People , left him with almost no Social Security Benifets as the UC System had a Private system wich required 30 years of service to receive even a small Bennifet this was later Challenged , but was not retroactive . So My Dad got screwed as have so many hard working people who have contributed to the development of our Great Country . Many who have had their safety nets pulled out from underneath them later to learn that the diatribe was in fact total Bull****! and our Elders who could only survive on Social security could actually eat real food while so many Elders could only EAT DOG food . "Yes this happens in our Country" . Who are they? well they are the ones who fought the seccond word war and the ones who fought for equal rights and marched with the various groups associated with Martin Luther KING and by so doing directed our Country to a new ethos if not a new beginning . And a BIG SHOUT OUT TO ALL- people of every color and Culture I was there and marched the marches , and am proud , a white Man who has for a lifetime included all the wonderful Brothers and Sisters into my extended Family as they have ,they who have never required any status quo or other other crap to be excepted into their extended Family , just good old fashion Community and good BBQ . Perhaps some of the more Socially constipated class could benefit from some interaction with some of our MOST longest residing Citezens Ya know like the founding Families , race removed the good old down to earth coming together of People like minded with great food and all STEWARDS of our Community .

Lose the BS   |October.05.2012 Lose the Bias You have some of the richest benefits in the US and complain about paying for SSI. For the rest of us poor slobs that is the only retirement money we will recieve. Getting 90% of your final salary with a COLA is unheard of. You post shows you are at of touch and how spoiled you are.

Lose the Bias   |October.05.2012 Anonymous, Their is no minimum number of years requirement for a Camp member to receive retirement medical. A 30 year veteran manager from another city can come to work for Vallejo, work a day and submit their retirement paperwork to PERS, guess what happens then... I am not sure about Police and Fire, I would have to read their contracts which are quite... complicated. I think it is 5 years service for them, but I am not sure. BTW, the city was going to stop paying SSI in the 80's when it was offered by the Fed, they dropped the ball and didn't file the paperwork. That is why a lot of the other cities have always paid most if not all of the employee portion of the PERS contribution and Vallejo never has. That is why the issue "seems" to be ignored. You of course think of it as this great benefit, but most of us would rather have that money in our pockets now, not when we eventually someday are allowed to get it. SSI is a waste of money IMHO, a tax that the Fed borrows and never plans to pay back. It will take many years just to get back the money I have paid in if I live that long. Calculate your own some day and you will see how true this is. Most would rather not pay it, but the city blew it, so whose fault is that supposed to be, oh I forgot, all city employees are scum. But I digress...

Mr :)   |October.05.2012 The IBEW probably gets close to market rates for their labor. Governments are a bit more rational about the trade off between hiring new workers, using overtime and ect with maintenance type jobs. Try outsourcing for less if you can. "Police officers on the SWAT team receive a 1% bonus which is included in their base pay." The explanation for the need for machine guns at the MMD evictions. Kind of funny until someone gets hurt. BTW: the Justice for Mario site issued a press release. http://www.facebook.com/JusticeForMarioRomero

wharf rat   |October.05.2012 Camp needs to have parity with the other Bargaining units . In fact The now Camp crowd was once exempt from all this Political raping of the tax-payers only to be Educated by the Firefighters Union who have taken a back stage to all this Crap and are laying low , as they have a very good Contract . They are better just hunkering down with what they have Ok nuff said I get the Message . WR

Captain   |October.04.2012 One of the issues Vallejo needs to deal with is that they are one of very cities that pay social security benefits and pansion benefits to both IBEW & Camp. I think only 15 percent of cities contribute to both of those retirement funds and, of that 15 percent, I don't think any pay for both a 2.7@55 pension formula and contribute an additional 6.2 percent of salary toward social security. What that means is that Vallejo taxpayers are paying an exorbinant toward retirement benefits for their employees - probably more than any other city in the state. It also means that employees take home less on their checks because they also pay 6.2 percent toward social security and also 8% of their pension. For a city to be paying for one of the highest pension benefits plus the social security contribution is ridiculous. It actually effects taxpayers, employees, and the cities ability to recruit because the most cities do NOT contribute to social security which essentially allows for an additional 6.2% of take home pay for their employees. It doesn't mean those cities pay better but it does mean those cities employees take home more wages (all things being equal). IBEW & CAMP understand this but have ignored the additional benefits paid by Vallejo when it comes to contract negotiations. They have actually made concerted efforts to exclude the additional social security benefits from consideration during contract negotiations. While I still believe all Vallejo contracts are excessive there is much work to be done in reducing both the CAMP & IBEW retirement formulas. Something like 1.65@60 + social security would be a step in the right direction, IMO. That, and eliminating the "entire" other category. Quit allowing people to compare their compensation to other cities that are going bankrupt.

Anonymous   |October.04.2012 BTW, are you sure you're not talking about the benefit BANKRUPT STOCKTON is claiming as just one of their huge mistakes? What makes you think Water Department employees aren't grossly overpaid? What happened to your former manager?

Anonymous   |October.04.2012 By the way, you need 10 years of service to vest for the medical payment and you have to retire from the City of Vallejo, not some other PERS entity. Camp members need only 1 day... They still pay 80% fo their monthly bill, now there is some cash down the drain. People from other cities have always come to Vallejo late in their career to work in the Camp union so they could retire just because of this BS. Can you expand that comment regarding CAMP? Especially the part where CAMP only needs one day?

Anonymous   |October.04.2012 @loose the bias; IBEW has taken the worse of cuts. Everyone should have had to make the same cuts. I will note, though, that the issue of your having to pay a monthly premium for health is a new realty. My health premium , before Obamacare, increased 13% a year; last year it was only 2%. But as a self employed person, I pay $450 a month premium, so the fact you have to pay $400 now for a family is what the majority of us have to deal with. welcome to our world.

CalPERS   |October.04.2012 CalPERS weighs huge premium hike for long-term care http://www.sacbee.com/2012/10/04/4880202/calpers-weighs-hugh-premium-hike.html

Lose the Bias   |October.04.2012 Unbelievable, you skew your information so blatently it is pathetic. All IBEW took not one but two 5 percent paycuts which were PERMANENT except Treatment Operators, who not only took no cuts, but also received a 5% increase. They are at median pay, but they still can't recruit anyone they don't have to train from the ground up. They have trained many, and all of the good ones have left, mediocrity rules. If you have a family Kaiser medical plan, you pay nearly 400 a month out of your own pocket which is another 5 to 8 percent cut depending on your wage. That is a minimum of a 15 percent paycut. There were some recipients of very large settlements but the vast majority of IBEW only received 5 to 6 thousand with about 25% going to the lawyers. It didn't even cover employee family medical costs for a year. This didn't just happen, these cuts have been in place for several years. If you don't think a 15 to 18 percent paycut is very much, then it "appears" to me that you have very limited critical thinking skills. There are certainly some people in IBEW who are overpaid, but, make no mistake, there are underpaid people, too. For many of those people, some can't leave, some won't leave, and some positions just can't be filled with qualified people. But, if we as a community follow your advice, we'll continue to cut, cut, cut. Of course, as work output decreases because people are angry and or depressed, we will just fire them, throw out any form of employment testing, and hire the first meth-head to come through the door. We can train them all, can't we?! That college degree requirement was just a wishlist item, anyway, wasn't it?! Technical schools, Trade schools, Universities, they are over-rated. Who cares if that contractor's building falls over in the next quake, who cares if the street lights or traffic lights work. Who cares if we repave 2 miles of a street and then rip it up to replace water lines 2 months later. You appear to be good with numbers, stick with that, you provide some good information, but until you actually have a real idea of what people do for a living and perform a real analysis of what they should be paid based on their skill sets, education, and abilities, it "appears" you should avoid making biased blanket statements just because you have a Ph.D which garners some people's attention. Most everyone knows where the real money is going... By the way, you need 10 years of service to vest for the medical payment and you have to retire from the City of Vallejo, not some other PERS entity. Camp members need only 1 day... They still pay 80% fo their monthly bill, now there is some cash down the drain. People from other cities have always come to Vallejo late in their career to work in the Camp union so they could retire just because of this BS.

Captain   |October.04.2012 Firebug, somebody has to pay for it. If not the employees then the taxpayers get stuck with the bill. I agree that some people have been shortchanged but who's to say Retired IBEW didn't receive life time medical for five years of service which was the minimum requirement for life-time medical? You no what they say, "if it sounds too good to be true it probably is." Life-time medical was too good to be true. For those that only put in single digit years of service the 300 per month in medical benefits, for life, is a pretty good deal. I'd also say that the money not set aside to cover that benefit went instead to employee salaries which also increased both compensation and pension benefits. Don't feel sorry for the employees because they've gotten paid many times over. If you want to feel sorry for someone feel sorry for the taxpayers that are receiving reduced services, deteriorating infrastructure, and an unfunded pension & retiree healthcare bill of well over 200 million. Where is that money coming from?

Mousy   |October.04.2012 There's a difference between the flex $$ in your paycheck and what your employers actually pay. For example, if your health care plan costs $100 bucks a month the employer might pay $40 and give you $40 more as "flex" and expect you to pony up the last $20 how you wish, by purchasing your own flex. That is how it worked until recently where I work. What I saw for flex dollars was vastly different than what was paid for the insurance. We recently switched to straight dollars rather the imaginary flex dollars.

Bad info   |October.04.2012 IBEW members only get $44.50 per month in med-flex. Nowhere near $250-$600 others get!!! Terrible information

Firebug   |October.04.2012 As usual great work Robert. I keep hearing with consistency about how much currently employed workers have sacrificed and your report exposes how they have turned sacrificing into profits. I do feel for the retirees like Retired_IBEW because at their retirement salaries, expecting them to cover tens of thousands of dollars for their health care is not fair.

One name....   |October.04.2012 Craig Whittom... Mr. Whittom has been consistantly near the helm during the entire pre, during and post bankruptcy. "He" actually knows everything that is going on regarding pay, benefits and everything else. The "everything else" would include the Vallejo Housing Authority, and how aggressively Vallejo is being marketed to low income landlords, poor people and the low income programs ABAG wants to shove down our throats. What department in Vallejo did not receive any cuts? Did not lower its service? Actually grew? You got it the Vallejo Housing Authority. Umm... If you really want to know what is going on in Vallej and who or whom or what programs are steering the ship, give Craig Whittom a call... I think you will find that the VHA is the tail that wags and pimps the dog...

wharf rat   |October.04.2012 Great research project Bob !! But big questions remain , who approves these expenditures ?? and do we have any criteria or qualifications for these expenditures ? exactly who has signed off on the extracurricular activities , considering we have a short Staff , how did they find the time for all this enrichment . Are these time spent classes or are they internet based pass through "pay for your certificate" courses and is there any benefit to our City operations ?? And if an Employee is doing an online course do they get the meal allowance (wich by the way is quite generous) ABSOLUTLEY OUTRAGEOUS . Perhaps we need time clocks audited by a third party and pay chits signed by a supervisor under penalty of perjury . this whole thing reeks of collusion .

wharf rat rants   |October.04.2012 Ok so who signed off on all of this fluff was it department heads or supervisors ? Who is minding the store ? Did we fund the last Chief of Police's law Degree ? What the hell is going on in the Accounting Dept if we even have one . This show's that we need a third party BEAN COUNTER group with strong Citezen oversite . this crap needs to stop! The average income of our Community is such that we can not support all these pre prop thirteen fifedomes and must re-adjust to the reality of the current revenue stream just look at the 2011 Census data , make sure your sitting down before viewing it All the young AA Lads that make Fatal mistakes when confronting the Cops are comiting suiside . When a Police Officer confronts you with commands , and packs a gun with the right to use it if threatened and you dont go docile and follow the instructions , then you just might get SHOT .. What would their epitaph be 'He fought the law and the law won' Leaving behind Fatherless Children is not cool and places a burden on the whole Community , both Black and White and other . Currently there is no Black on White real conflict ,even tough many operators wish to promote the theororetical conflict to further their own gains . Many are both Black and White however harbour the same motives "personal gain" The common denominator of the race issue is the rush to profit from it , this is in effect a breakdown of the race issue . And disenfranchises many young Children who are played as puppets in a bad show all the while knowing that the show is CRAP . for you must see our Youth are coming together and discount the rigid bull**** of their Parents and previous Generations . They have constructed their own set of interracial values based on experience and inclusion and are well equipped to lead and govern our scociety into the future IMO a breath of fresh air and an awsome generation to be proud of .

Anonymous   |October.03.2012 Good Job Dr. Schussel. This looks like a list of of things to cut from all future contracts. It's at least a start...

wharf rat   |October.03.2012 I do not agree with your comments Dr Bob I think our City can benefit greatly from Educational incentives . A certification for basket weaving could yeild incredible returns to the tax-payer.

Anonymous   |October.03.2012 So, basically, the employees made little sacrafice. I always wanted to know where the multi-millions in the "other wage" category of employee wages actually went. Now that my concerns have been verified Vallejo should eliminate the "other wage" category completely. Quit funding this gross excess that amounts to nothing more than a tax payer rip-off.

Write comment
Name:
Email:
Website:
Title:
	Please input the anti-spam code that you can read in the image.

Powered by !JoomlaComment 3.23

3.23 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."