During difficult times, rumors are abounding. Many City of Chicago employees are concerned about the possibility of no work in the future. I want everyone to sit back and relax, we have our eyes everywhere. I think the Daley Administration should stop using layoffs to further their agenda, it is immoral. I am asking all employees that have not received any benefit from the Shakman settlement to make sure they get their legal papers into us for review. Protect your rights. As soon as I have some facts on the personnel adjustments and/or any layoffs, I will let you know. We are also going to watch layoffs that might impede workers rights and equal treatment. I also want those concerned about rumors; expect us to fight any layoff that interferes with a court order. The Daley budget crisis will not be an excuse to spit on city workers or destroy their families. I also want you city workers to keep updating Chicago Clout with all the addresses of any contractors working for the city, they are taking your work away, and prove Daley is loaded with money. I also suggest you take pictures of the contractor's workers and their cars. Please record license places and city stickers. Do not talk to anyone or interfere with their work! Thanks, Patrick McDonough.
16 Replies to “Layoff Rumors for City of Chicago Employees Spreading”
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spoiled that sw hat City employees are. The UAW just gave back better than 20% pay to keep jobs or save more jobs than the ones getting laid off. All I hear is that the mayor wont honor the contract..do you hear that from the UAW? no you see them being realistic.
Your unions wont take unpaid days off to dave other jobs. Your video give false information as you slander everyone along the way.
If you dont have the $$$, you cant psy people Pat. So you lay off.
Never have City employees been ask to give back like so may of in the real world. You been spoiled..Well give back or give up jobs.
You know as wll as anyone Pat that the water dept. can’t compete with the contractors. Did you ever see the item amount for OVERHEAD that the city puts on their bids for work?!! It is just astounding. Pat, all the contractor information is of record so just go look for it, it is there. What the hell good is it to photograph the contractors workers cars? They don’t have to live in the city, they don’t even have to live in the state! Plain foolishness and you know it.
How can the city guys compete when it takes them almost a week just to repair a sewer side basin, when the contractors can do the repair in a day or less.
I hate to see layoffs, but relieved that they will not reduce my pay as very soon I will be retireing and don’t want to face a reduction in my retirement pay. Some of the new guys may not like that train of thought, but I worked LONG and HARD and put up with a lot of shit all those years and would really hate to see pension check reduced.
North District,
That could be one of the most selfish statements I have heard from a city worker. You may have worked long but you didn’t work hard. I’m sure you took full advantage of your vacation time, sick days and paid holidays. You most likely get about 6 weeks of paid time off. Which means you actually are expected to be at work 37 out of 52 weeks? The private contractors that you speak of don’t get paid vacation, sick time or holidays. If they don’t go to work, they don’t get paid. If all things were equal in terms of pay scale, you make about 30% more than your private contractor counter part. This 30% does not include your benefit and pension. You might be leaving the game, but you were part of the problem for many years.
The city workers that I know are by a whole skilled and can compete with private sector, if and only if the city would allow them to be structured like a construction unit and work on a project basis without being dependent on other city departments. The city is one giant business with multiple departments (sub-companies). If there was an effort to run projects like a contractor, THE CITY CREWS COULD DO THE JOB AS GOOD IF NOT BETTER.
(Response) If you want to improve the job remove the trash!
if you have been working hard all these years you would be able to see it does not take that long to repair a side basin or maybe you dont get out on the street alot anymore because your about to retire!thanks for all your years of service but dont degrade your fellow union workers when you dont have the facts straight,if anyone should be trying to protect the union jobs it should be someone who has lived in the system as long as you!dont turn your back because your on the way out stand tall for your fellow workers!
Hey Pat I took the buy out in 04. Every since I found your Blog I just laugh when I read it.
You dont know your own union contract, anything about public revenue and even less about employment law.
You cant move funds from a restricted fund to a general fund, You can’t require contractors to be union, The city does not pay you OT to testify against it and contractors do work cheaper.
And contractors do not have to live in the city you dummy!
ok city trade union workers,
this is 100% FACT that union that you pay dues too, does not care one bit about you, they can not wait until it is all privatized, do you wanna know why? as a city employee that union gots ZERO dollars from the city on your behalf the only money coming in is from YOUR dues, with private contractors (plumbers for example) the union recieves approx. $16 per HOUR that that employee works, add up all city of Chicago plumbing union employees and multiply that by 2080 and see how much the plumbers union is loosing out on by having city workers, it is the same with all trade unions some with more money some with less, but all that money that the unions are LOOSING because of you adds up, that is why certain union reps tell you how lucky you are to have that job. oh and when it is all privatized and those with clout do get jobs welcome to the real world buddy, no PAID VACATION unless you negotiate it (good luck there) NO SICK DAYS, no sitting in the car while it rains, you will go home WITHOUT PAY, maybe showup pay but that will most likely be gone too, show up late for work and maybe you will be sent home, but if not you will only be paid for the time you work, oh and truck drivers, yep you will drive that truck but no sitting there, you will have other things to do, maybe push a broom but it will be something, and caulkers there is NO SUCH JOB in the private sector,you will be a laborer and doing the same work for less pay, but do not let the union catch you, be affraid people be very affriad big changes are coming
So you mean to tell me that the city SAVES $16 an hour per worker by not using private contractors, but what about contractor overhead and profit ( which is part of the contractors cost of doing business ,its also part of their bill, a bill which the city will have to pay).That probably adds up to $40 -$50 and hour. So if the private contractor are that much more expensive…why does the use them.
I can’t wait for the day that you privliged pre-madonnas that work for the city are laid off and replaced by private contractors. Maybe then our respected unions will pay attention to the rest of the rank and file members instead of kissing Daley’s Ass and wet-nursing the few clouted city workers. The union city workers have no idea what it is like to come to work everyday wondering if it will be your last, sitting on the books for a year waiting on the union to provide you with a job…meanwhile you lose your health benefits for your family. You city workers need a REAL dose of reality that being a union member is all about in the Cook County building trades
So this guy was supped at labors table his whole life and now wants to deny his fellow union brothers the same.He would rather see his union brothers loose their livelihood in the middle of the worst recession the country has ever seen just so he can see a few extra bucks on his pension check.
The city does not save $16 per hour using city workers, that example was plumbers, hourly wage is $43. per hour + $16 in benefits in the private sector and it just went up about $1.25 per hour, with private contractors that approx. $16 per hour goes to the union that is money that the city does NOT give the union, and private contractors have workers comp to pay for as well as 7.5% of the hourly to social security adds up to a lot huh? but…. some city employees are getting up to 7 weeks off with pay for vacation, sick days and all of the paid holidays, those are things that private contractors do not have to pay for and it adds up to being more expensive to use city workers also private contractors do have to produce more and with fewer workers on the job site,also union workers as well as non union workers only get paid for the hours they work, no vac. no sick days, no paid holidays and again with private contractors the unions get that benefit money that the city does not give them, and believe me on this also the kick back money that the private contractors “DONATE” to the politicians is far greater than any patronage donation city workers give, PRIVATAZATION IS ON THE WAY
The city benifit package has to cost half of what the bloated union benefit package cost.If your a tradesman you know theres a big difference in the water downed benefit package you get as a city worker compared to the outside union benefit package.Since my job is one that will be eliminated, lets use me as an example. I get 2 weeks vacation , 7 holidays and no sick days per year. For a 2000 hour work year that breaks down to ~$3 an hour.(Also the contractor dosnt pay social security the employee does .Workmans comp is paid by the employer and Im sure the city gets a good rate on insurance due to volume of employees and the way they fight duty disability cases.The point is neither is a cost exclusive to either party)
I’m not disputing your point,its a very good point and I get it.Privatization means that all that benefit money will be handled by the union .Every city union member should think about that a little. But my point is that it cost the city less money to use their weaker benefit package , their operating costs should be much less per employee due to the volume of employees they represent and it also benifits them to control that money .Im also bringing up some of the other costs associated with using private contractors.You mentioned the kick backs,which I didnt but now thats it on the table thats an additional cost .When my contractor sends me on the jobsite or on a service call they charge twice what my union compensation is. As long as we have prevailing wage – thats around what the city will pay for a private contractor.
social security is paid by any employer 7.5% by the employer and 7.5% by the employee the only employers that do not pay Social security are Railroads, municipalities with a high employee count that have a Chicago type benni package and the U.S government as well as employers that have real high paid employees as there is a cutoff wage that I do not know what that is at the moment also the City of Chicago is self insured due to its size even with the amount of employees that it has, my original point is, THE UNION WANTS PRIVATAZATION so that they have that benifit money
Instead of social security the city has its own pension plan and the employees contribute %8 and the city does the same , so yes you can technically say the city dosnt pay social security but they still pay the same cost for the same type of pogram , a program that is a substitute for social security..so its a cost that paid by both city and contractor.
Why is the city paying a recycle service to come into fleet garages to pick up reclyclables when we have50 recycle trucks at each location? Premier waste and recycle 773-376-4000
Hey anonymous, the Bureau of Electricty does the same thing. Big dump trucks come in every few days to haul away the scrap from old light poles, aluminum poles, wire, etc…. Who ever is hauling it away is making a TON of money. I would thnk the city would haul it away themselves and use that money for the budget, or atleast the Bureau of Electricityls budget……
I am guessing whatever compaby it is that’s hauling it away knows the Mayor or someone that has clout.
(Response) contact me and I will make you happy.
Sorry but I just noticed the line:
“(Response) contact me and I will make you happy.”
That wasn’t part of my original post. I am not sure what it means or why it’s there. Could someone clearify?