According to the C-J article today, Unions want details on budget shortfall courier-journal The Courier-Journal, unions have demanded to have an outside independent analysis to make suggestions on the budget and see where cuts can be made.
Well done.
Some have asked why the unions should be able to look at the books and trying to use the point that no other employee would have that right from their employer. I say hogwash. Really.
These unions represent paid employees by US the taxpaying citizens NOT the Abramson machine. While he may "sign" the checks he does so because we voted to allow him that privilege. So the real accountability is to us not Abramson. What is wrong with someone trying to help us?
In the long range that is essentially what will happen.
A few years ago when I was employed at Ford for example the UAW asked for the same thing and Ford agreed. Within this audit there were many suggestions that would help alleviate the crisis Ford was in. Some they actually did. This joint effort showed a good will faith on the part of Ford and the UAW.
It was a matter of trust. Do we trust Abramson? After exposing some of the half truths of late on this blog I do not.
If I had a signed written contract to use any of you for services then wanted to alter our agreement would you not have the right to know why? Should it be verified or would any of us willingly agree to changes in our written agreement based on an employer's word.
Ideally we would like to think we could but realistically none of us would. When it affects our livelihood and we plan our future based on this written agreement someones word goes out the window. When Abramson agreed to the contract terms that essentially was him giving his word this was feasible. Now he says his word isn't any good.
Look at the firefighters and the struggle they have had for years over back pay and monies owed them. They have won every court battle and still have no closure.
All based on Abramson's word.
Ford for example instituted an FPS system (similar to the Jack Welch renown six sigma approach) that involved employees at every level in cost cutting and savings. This has shed MILLIONS from their costs and believe me without it Ford would be in worse trouble today. By including employees at every level Ford let it be known that we ALL benefit when times are good and we all suffer when things go wrong.
They understood at least that part of the basic premise and understood that when we all are involved we have better results. Though Ford is struggling today based on some bad decision making at Corporate level, and many other factors, they would certainly be worse off or closed had it not been for the involvement of everyone in the costs of doing business.
Yesterday I challenged each of you to get involved and demand transparency as part of a group effort by local bloggers Louisville News and Politics: ABRAMSON BUDGET AND METRO COUNCIL: Can we do better?
It would appear that the unions are accomplishing that and probably a whole lot easier than we could on our own.
Kudos to the unions for forcing this administration to do what we have been asking for.
Show us where the money went.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
8 comments:
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It's funny that the unions fought a transparency ordinance last year when Councilman Ken Fleming introduced it. This ordinance would have required more transparency on metro expenditures and looked at efficiencies in how Metro spends money. Seems their tune has changed rather quickly.
ReplyDeleteThe LMPD are only out for the LMPD. They have backed off their rabid stance of late after seeing the adverse effect it was having, the public just doesn't agree with the take home cars, we all see the abuse. Now the rest of you need to take them of that pedestal you've placed them on. This cry of "Public Safety" is getting old.
ReplyDeleteThat ordinance by Fleming had nothing to do with "transparency". It was an attempt to privatize city services and bust the unions.
ReplyDeleteTucker - not was not. Fleming repeatedly met with the unions to discuss it with them. His goal was transparency, not union busting.
ReplyDeleteFleming has never been able articulate his vision. He seeks true cost data but with the recent events is starting to realize this administration has no idea of what true cost is. He fell for the easy union busting rap because he never understood how bitter the relationship between labor and the administration is, perhaps now he will learn. Labor just wants to participate in a positive way and have a even playing field. Rebecca Jackson was able to do it in the county, she forged a cooperative relationship simply by being ethical, and more importantly, hiring qualified and ethical labor staff
ReplyDeleteThe vast majority of this government expense is on labor yet Jerry has nothing in place to promote effective labor relations. Instead of hiring effective Labor Relations staff he has Lynn Fleming, Bill Horning and Tina Heaverin - a trio of total incompetents, He had so much potential through merger to achieve something better and wasted it all because in his heart Jerry really has no idea how to lead his employees.
Metro needs to go out and get a real labor relations staff. Hire people from Ford or GE that understand Jack Welch vision or Fords worker involvement.
Fleming is guilty as a Council member for failing the employees. Instead of grandiose visions of employee involvement he needs to start with the basics. Bring Lynn Fleming in front of committee every two weeks and ask her why grievances filed are at record levels, why it takes forever to resolve a simple grievance, why contract negotiations take years because they will not meet. Ask for real numbers like why it takes months to hire someone while the open slot is being filled with overtime.
The difference between Rebecca Jackson and Jerry Abramson is that Rebecca's staff admitted when they had a bad manager and took care of it. Jerry will let an entire department be ruined rather than admit he was wrong, witness Kimberly Bunton.
WOW!
ReplyDeleteANOTHER someone else calling out Tucker for inaccuracies in his comments.
Just yesterday at the C-J, someone called Tucker out for plagarism.
Tucker is crying out for attention.
Any attention is good attention.
Isn't this a tactic that toddlers use?
:-)
I wouldn't want someone from GE, Ford, or any other private corporation to work on Labor Relations. In fact, I've found that most of the local employers I've worked for including some of the larger corporations have no clue what labor relations is about. No respect for the worker, a system of corruption in corporate management, and a workplace that was largely lousy.
ReplyDeleteTo listen to these guys from some of the larger corporations around town, one would think that they knew it all but when it came to business performance they knew very little. It was ok to be incompetent and get by with things as management didn't care as long as their paychecks were signed.
So to have some corporate hack with little in the way of morality or common sense to be doing the hiring and firing is not progress. Most of these human resources people don't know the caliber of their own employees because they make no attempt to learn the values and skills of those employees. Clueless these people are.
Its no wonder why corporate America as well as state, federal and city government is so messed up due to incompetents and lazy butts running things. Once you get in and its all about who you know around Louisville. Not about what your education is or what you truly know or can do in your job, but whose butt you kiss and who you are related to. Thats the way it works around Louisville and until you get rid of that systematic corruption, a lot of this will remain the same.
Love it when people name names. Tina Heavrin claims to be an expert in labor relations - but we have a total mess in labor. Lynn Fleming is a former PD, and has never negotiated a contract in her life that I've seen.
ReplyDelete