Yonkers Layoffs

[SRS131EMTFF 471]

Yonkers budget: $295 tax hike, 112 city job cuts, but no significant cuts to schools

http://www.lohud.com...|text|Frontpage

The city would remove from its payroll: 30 cops and seven superior officers; 26 firefighters and 10 supervisors; 34 public works employees; and seven parks department employees, including five maintenance workers.

Best of luck to our brothers and sisters in YO. Hopefully this is a gimmick similar to Bloombergs...

[SageVigiles 1,194]

Wow... Unbelievable. Best of luck to the YFD and YPD Brothers and Sisters. Stay Strong and stick together!

[FirNaTine 370]

And this isthe guy the Union backed. Go figure!

[SECTMB 612]

Palm Beach County is reducing its paramedic ambulance crews from 3 to 2 if the third member is a replacement and requires overtime to fill in the position. Their budget has been hit hard these last few years as property values have declined by up to 50%.

While other public workers underwent a wage freeze the last several years, that option was not available due to the union contract. Accordingly, Palm Beach County Fire Rescue has not hired anyone in about two years and plans to eliminate about 110 positions, simply by not filling them, in order to deal with their budget.

At this time, everyone involved, including the firefighters, are not anticipating a reduction in response times or service.

[Bnechis 3,961]

At this time, everyone involved, including the firefighters, are not anticipating a reduction in response times or service.

If you reduce the number of people performing a service, then you are reducing the service. If going from a 3 person crew down to a 2 person crew has zero affect, then you have been paying an extra 50% for nothing. Now anyone who understads the difference that extra set of hands provideds, knows that on scene times will increase, total call times will increase, which means units will be unavailable for longer periods. You will also see an increase in injuries to responders.

[JFLYNN 681]

Palm Beach County is reducing its paramedic ambulance crews from 3 to 2 if the third member is a replacement and requires overtime to fill in the position. Their budget has been hit hard these last few years as property values have declined by up to 50%.

While other public workers underwent a wage freeze the last several years, that option was not available due to the union contract. Accordingly, Palm Beach County Fire Rescue has not hired anyone in about two years and plans to eliminate about 110 positions, simply by not filling them, in order to deal with their budget.

At this time, everyone involved, including the firefighters, are not anticipating a reduction in response times or service.

These are Palm Beach Fire-Rescue trucks,staffed by Firefighter-Paramedics, not ambulances. Not all of them are being reduced to a 2 man crew, but many are. The Firefighters union has publicly stated that service will suffer, which of course it will, so your statement about "everyone involved" is also incorrect.

How is it that you can be down there in Florida and get this so wrong, and I can be up here in New York, and learn all of this in a 3 minute Google search? Why did I strongly suspect after reading your post that it was factually incorrect and that if I did a Google search my suspicion would be verified? Why do you think the situation in Palm Beach is at all relevant to what is now happening in Yonkers?

[Tranz426 22]

And they wonder why unions don't ever want to give in. They just got threw changing the pension tier and they are still out for blood. Sad day in yonkers.

[SECTMB 612]

I was simply re-stating what one of my local outlets reported in a quicky TV news story. And a 'Paramedic Rescue' down here is the equivalent of a 'Paramedic Ambulance' up there, not to be confused with something like FDNY Rescue 3. And why are you getting so worked up about it? I made the post as to the relevance of how municipal budgets are affecting the emergency services everywhere and I did not think that much more in depth reporting and fact checking was necessary to establish that municipal services continue to be affected by budget shortfalls.

So when somebody tells you how the economy is recovering, think about these recent incidents of cut backs, lay-offs and re-assignments that are continuing to be implemented due to our local, regional and national economy.

On tonights news, the Vero Beach Police are eliminating a vacant Assistant Chief's position and demoting three Lieuts to Sergeants, three Sergeants to Corporal and

the three Corporals to patrol officers, all with corresponding pay adjustments and all to save...............$190,000.00 per year. That's how bad some of the municipal budgets are down here that they would go to such measures to save $190K. St. Lucie made similar adjustments previously.

This move is not without resistance and the point has been made that anticipated OT will offset the savings. But perhaps someone with more time can fact check this as I don't have the time to conduct in person interviews with all the parties that have made statement through the public media outlets.

[YFD216 2]

That's the City of Yonkers for you. When budget cuts come the teachers are left alone . That's the way they work,always on the back of the other workers.

Union backing of politicians don't mean anything

[SECTMB 612]

That's the City of Yonkers for you. When budget cuts come the teachers are left alone . That's the way they work,always on the back of the other workers.

Union backing of politicians don't mean anything

Union backing of politicians does mean everything. The teachers unions just spend more money on their politicians. As the saying goes, "you get what you pay for" and the teachers unions are willing to pay.

[ex-commish 490]

Hopes for a good outcome to this...I hate to see anyone lose thier jobs...

[dadbo46 50]

The proposed reduction of 26 FF's and 10 officers will result in the closing of how many companies ?

[YogruntNy 21]

Union backing of politicians does mean everything. The teachers unions just spend more money on their politicians. As the saying goes, "you get what you pay for" and the teachers unions are willing to pay.

Tell that to the members of the Yonkers PBA and Fire unions. I believe they had their members each contribute 100 dollars per person to the guys campaign, and even many of their members even went door to door handing out flyers reminding people to vote for Spano. I could be wrong, but I dont recall any teachers doing all that. Spano really did them dirty, cant look at it any other way.

[R1SmokeEater 359]

The proposed reduction of 26 FF's and 10 officers will result in the closing of how many companies ?

Possibly 2-Companies,perhaps more. :angry:

[FF1 172]

So they are laying off and possibly closing 2 entire companies when Ridge Hill is almost complete and the apartments and office buildings up there are close to being populated? That is completely unacceptable.

[FFLieu 70]

Well, if they absolutely must cut staffing to meet a budget gap, then they should do it correctly. Cutting the guys on the firehouse level only adds up to a few percentage points worth of savings, and overall, it hurts the community. Response times might increase. Fatalities might increase. Shuttering firehouses or reducing staffing levels doesn't solve the issue, especially since there will be the same issue again, inevitably, in the future. However, cutting duplicative management or reducing the salaries of those who make in excess of $185k per year as of the last publication date, would better serve the community-at-large and would be a better "bang" for the overall taxpayer buck.

[gamewell45 258]

Well, if they absolutely must cut staffing to meet a budget gap, then they should do it correctly. Cutting the guys on the firehouse level only adds up to a few percentage points worth of savings, and overall, it hurts the community. Response times might increase. Fatalities might increase. Shuttering firehouses or reducing staffing levels doesn't solve the issue, especially since there will be the same issue again, inevitably, in the future. However, cutting duplicative management or reducing the salaries of those who make in excess of $185k per year as of the last publication date, would better serve the community-at-large and would be a better "bang" for the overall taxpayer buck.

Or they could raise property taxes enough to make up the deficit. You want services, you have to pay for them.

[FFLieu 70]

I dunno. There's only so much tax and spend that people can take before they start to get fed up. Look at what's been going on in the news with the taxpayer-subsidized GSA junket to Las Vegas. My man took a trip on our dime, made sure that he got himself photographed in a suite, and then had the audacity to take the 5th in front of Congress. Personally, as a Westchester taxpayer, I'd much rather see those in charge cut some dead wood making better than a buck-eighty-five to sit in an office all day behind a computer, being otherwise unproductive, than have them cut the cheaper-but-more-productive version, all while de-valuing my home because it gets bad fire protection coverage.

[Tranz426 22]

What happened to the safer grant?

[FDNYDCHI 38]

I am a city of Yonkers homeowner (Northeast Section) and would have no problem to pay a little bit more money to help out the FD and PD. However, with my property taxes along with the City residency tax that they take out of my check. I think the City should be better alocating the money.

Why Should you raise my taxes then cut services. Paying more money for less what's up with that.

Or the city should add a line Item per resident "fire/police tax" where they charge x.xx per person for the service and the money goes stright to that instead of the slush fund.

What about the city taking over EMS and doing 3rd party insurance billing (I have no idea how it works as empress EMS has with the CIty) So far Nock on wood I haven't needed there services.

Just my 2 cents. (or 1.5 after the city takes it cut)

Chris

[Goose 188]

I am a city of Yonkers homeowner (Northeast Section) and would have no problem to pay a little bit more money to help out the FD and PD. However, with my property taxes along with the City residency tax that they take out of my check. I think the City should be better alocating the money.

Why Should you raise my taxes then cut services. Paying more money for less what's up with that.

Or the city should add a line Item per resident "fire/police tax" where they charge x.xx per person for the service and the money goes stright to that instead of the slush fund.

What about the city taking over EMS and doing 3rd party insurance billing (I have no idea how it works as empress EMS has with the CIty) So far Nock on wood I haven't needed there services.

Just my 2 cents. (or 1.5 after the city takes it cut)

Chris

I highly doubt the insurance payment recovery rate for EMS services in Yonkers would offset the cost of establishing and maintaing a citywide municipal EMS system.

Edited April 18, 2012 by Goose

[gamewell45 258]

Or the city should add a line Item per resident "fire/police tax" where they charge x.xx per person for the service and the money goes stright to that instead of the slush fund.

I'm not sure what the tax laws are when it comes to municipalities; I do know that if you live in a town, village that has a fire district (with a few exceptions to the rule) they have a separate taxing and those monies are only for use of the fire district expenses.

[Tranz426 22]

There are other ways the city can close the gap. They should not do it on the backs if the workers who keep the city running.

[JM15 386]

There are other ways the city can close the gap. They should not do it on the backs if the workers who keep the city running.

Care to enlighten us on your ideas?

[Tranz426 22]

Merging the parking authority, going after unpaid and underpaid taxes by commecial properties that were given to bring business's here that are now up and running making millions such as stew lenards, costo, home depot

[barbosa10 7]

This is so ridiculous, why do polticians go after what a city really needs the most (protection). I have a phenominal idea instead of lay offs how about time reduction???? The Germans surely used this model called Kurzarbeit: An Alternative to Lay-Offs. Here is a great article describing what it is.

http://www.businessw...90012504688.htm

[FFLieu 70]

Career politicians are also part of the problem. There is more waste, fraud, and abuse the higher and higher you go in the public sector, and the stench starts at the top. Duplicative management, unproductive management, nepotistic management, and other forms of "management" is often overlooked and it's the guys on the ground who are often made to take the fall. My question is, why cut 15 firefighters or police officers or sanitation workers when you can cut 5 or 6 people who make north of $185k per year, and actually end up with a better return on your taxpayer subsidized investment? Unproductive management that's currently on the job making that amount per year will end up costing significantly more per year in retirement benefits, which will lead to more of a tax gap and burden, and thus, more layoffs. It's a circle that needs to end, somehow.

[nfd2004 750]

Career Politicians are the Entire problem. Everything was negotiated fair and square with both unions and the city. If there was aproblem then it should have been taken care of. But in good faith, the fire fighters, police officers, or any other union agreed upon what ever deals were made. The politicians had their chance to change things as they saw fit.

If there's any blame here, or in any other city for that matter, BLAME THE POLITICIANS. They are the ones that have the final say.

They are the first ones to pat themselves on the back when things go good, but when ever things start to get a little sour, its time to point the finger at somebody else.

I wouldn't trust any politician anywhere. They are only interested in their own political future, and clearly, at least to me, they use the uniformed services to their advantage when its best for them.

My theory is that politicians are not the answer, "they are the probem".

I wish people wouldn't get sucked into their B/S.

Edited April 20, 2012 by nfd2004

[rayrider 94]

Like our former deputy mayor who manipulated the law to squeeze another $40,0000.00 out of the city before he left. Could have paid for half a ff salary for a year. Good riddance!!!!!

[FF1 172]

Yonkers should bring back neighborhood schooling. The busses that shuttle children to and from school every day that is funded by tax dollars needs to stop. Apparently it is "racist" to go to a school in your own neighborhood, so to rectify this "racism", they shuttle someone 15-20 minutes across the city to a school instead of letting the child go to a school that is within walking distance of thier home.