Monday, September 28, 2015

IBEW contract with Lake Worth

Comment Up

The IBEW contract is 57 pages and is up for approval in a special city commission meeting tomorrow night. The 4% raises are in the contract.

Dwight A. Maddox, President
IBEW Local Union 359 and President of System Council U-4

29 comments:

Anonymous said...

Will we hear any gripes from employees now?

Anonymous said...

That guy looks like "mouse" rememeber him?

Anonymous said...

To ANON @ 9:20AM:

"Gripes from employees?" Please know the facts before interjecting with outward remarks... Thank you =)

The city has 2 different Unions. The IBEW which represents the Electrical, Sewer / Water Departments, totaling 2 Departments. The PEU/PMSA represent all the remaining departments which is ALOT, about 90% of all employees in the city.

We all knew that the IBEW Union Employees will be acquiring their raise October 1st which is not new news, this was decided a while ago. No one is up in arms about the IBEW because the vast majority of employees do not fall under that Unions coverage. The majority of employees fall are under the PEU/PMSA Union. All the employees under this Union are NOT receiving any raises until that Union & City agree on the stipulations the city imposed on their contract. Such as, "No raises for 3 years (which would end up being one 4% raise in 11 years after the 3 year mark has been reached) & the pension remains at 30 years of service in order to obtain this year’s 4% raise… without retro pay." You tell me would you work for an employer for 30 years without substantial room for advancement, which fight you at every turn, (not even cost of living increases)? In a nutshell until the PEU/PMSA Union caves into this travesty of a contract the city can sit relaxing knowing they aren't losing any money since they essentially don't have to do anything but continue smiling while sitting on their comfy chairs up in City Hall and collecting their $100,000+ salaries.

This is what's really going on LW and why the morale is so low:

- The PEU/PMSA Union hasn't helped the employees in 8 years with raises, cost of living adjustments, pension plans...etc. They've lost each and every negotiation for the past 8 years and that's why employees are choosing to work without Union coverage because what's the point in paying dues to a Union that can’t win?

Please don't let the city pull a wool over your eyes with their half-truths and whole lies & Thank you Lynn for allowing me to post in your blog. Have a nice day everyone.

Anonymous said...

For anyone who knows who Richard Branson (Owner of Virgin Group)

He quoted:

"Clients do not come first.
Employees come first.
If you take care of your employees, they will take care of your clients."

and this is why all of his companies continuesto thrive in which a survey was completed to show that employee morale' was through the roof in regards to benefits and pay. Most people work for money and benefits not for smiles Bornstein, just saying.

So maybe this City should take some advice from him and treat the employees equally and then im sure this city would grow immensely in quality and revenue to overall benefit the citizens of Lake Worth.

Lynn Anderson said...

Without employees, you have no business and might just as well close the doors. That's a Lynn Anderson quote.

But having said that, comparing a poor city that has NO money as salaries, benefits and public safety take 3 times we we get in advalorem and compare that to billionaire Richard Branson is unfair, don't you think?

Anonymous said...

anonymous at 9:20 are you kidding me with a remark like that you are proof of what is all wrong with the city of LW. That is talk from someone who is totally clueless about working conditions in LW. Anon at 11:35 has explained it very well and that person is right on. Does this change the atmosphere of the employees I would guess not as this is just a token thrown out by the city to quiet things down. When you give $10K & $15K raises to management which is extremely more that 4% we still have problems. It does take good employees to make the high priced Mgmt look good and considering our mgmt personnel it will take alot of work by employees to get that done.

Anonymous said...

Lynn,

I understand the money aspect of various companies and what they can afford to produce for its workers. But it all comes down to treating the people who work for you right, if you can't afford to increase hourly pay then maybe work on a cost of living increase at least. 8 years with nothing is a long time to go just to have a carrot dangled in 2015. Just like that insurance commercial with the dangling dollar, "almost had it... you got to be quicker than that."

Leadership is about heading the fight not standing on the soldiers backs yelling mush forward with a smile.

This cities leadership is a travesty in itself. Tell me if this city is as broke as you stated then how can it afford the rising salaries of $100,000+ of the City Manager and the Department Heads and their continually growing benefits such as car allowance, cell phone allowance and so forth? These are the same people who have fought with grin and a knife against the Union behind closed doors and then wear a bowtie and a smile in public forums. If their truly is no money then shouldn't it be fair across the board?

Either way until this City decides to put its employees before themselves they will continue to loss valuable and knowledgeable employees because people can only take so much and it clearly shows in the amount of individuals leaving the City and Union.

Anonymous said...

has anyone noticed that they are trying to hush what's going on with PEU/PMSA Union and trying to save face with the public by broadcasting the raise with the employees in the IBEW in pretending it encompasses everyone when its on a TINY percentage?

Anonymous said...

the peu pmsa union is HORRIBLE! No wonder people are leaving from it! you pay unions to fight and represent you, just seems like they aren't doing a good job. Its a bummer they cant just switch to the ibew, but ibew is only allotted for those 2 departments.

Anonymous said...

Take care of the people who take care of this city! Simple as that. I am pleased that the IBEW Union has won the contract for its departments but what about the PEU? Why year after year they continue to fail its employees?

Anonymous said...

I'd much rather wee our employees get something than give more money to PBSO.

Anonymous said...

ANON 12:09, I like your State Farm Insurance analogy for comparison, too funny! True though.

Anonymous said...

Glad to see one of the Union's won the Battle! I feel bad for the employees in the PEU Union, im sorry fellas!

Anonymous said...

I wonder if someone in the public will speak up and ask the question well what about the PEU and city how the city loopholes around answering that question. It would look very bad on the city if they answer it truthfully.

Anonymous said...

I have worked for the City and Utilities for a long time and finally felt like we had good leadership and respect but the CM managed to run them off and now we are back to square one. New Asst Directors in both departments (where did that $ come from as we are so broke) one an Engineer who knows what she's doing and the other well we need alot of help there. This city has terrible leadership and the employees see it and have lost respect for them.

Anonymous said...

Ive been with the city for years and have seen its downward spiral. It would be one thing if no one recieved raises but only the higher ups and excess of tens of thousands thats WAY over 4% now tell me how that is leadership? No wonder the employees are leaving...

Lynn Anderson said...

The city manager has control over the raises for his department heads. He wants their undying loyalty. As far as his raise, McVoy and Maier voted it DOWN for that very reason--unfair to the rest of staff.

Anonymous said...

But they ALL still got their $20-15,000 raises... Did they not?

Anonymous said...

Lynn I get it but what about loyalty to your non-direct reports, who the heck does he think makes his directors look good it surely is not them.

Anonymous said...

I meant to say $10-15,000 not 20. Its not right that they ALL recieved huge raises then make every excuse in the book when it comes to their employees. In all actuality a 4% raise after 8 years of zilch is ridiculous and still they fight it behind closed doors. People used to fight for city jobs and now they are losing everyone that works here. We can say anything in a blog, the Public can say anything in open meetings but nothing ever changes. The rich get richer and we the employees stay stagnet... That sadly will be the City's Legacy. No wonder everyone is jumping ship! I am a employee and i wish i could deck the CM right in his face but i need my job right now, hopefully i will be leaving soon for a better job. Im going to miss the great ppl i work with but not the UPPER management.

Anonymous said...

7:02 Im with ya on that. Im on the first ferry out of here as well. Ive been here for years and working for Lake Worth is a dead end job. Its best to just take my experience elsewear. I will work to my fingers bleed as long as im working towards a goal with a positive company. Here the slogan is always do more with less each year. Every person has a breaking point and ive reached the point where its not doing my family any good with me in a stale city. There's no future working for the City anymore. But thats what they want... High turnover rate & low pay so that the employee never recieve retirement so the city doesnt have to pay out.

Anonymous said...

Id knock Bornstien so hard in the jaw his bowtie wouldn't stop spinning! Im apologize for my language its just that i have no respect for two faced individuals. Im an employee as well. Literally every person who works for the city dislikes him.

Anonymous said...

The city gave IBEW 4%, that means for a lineman they get $1.28 an hour or $2664 a year raise, not even close the the $10K-15K the Mgrs got. Give us a break here and we only get that for 1 year, makes sense of that.

Anonymous said...

At least they got something. Everyone in the PEU got zero. I have 1 year left with this city and it cant come soon enough.

Anonymous said...

A 4% raise for me is only.65 cents more a hr. So in 8 years of no raises a whole .65 is supposed to be fair? And the city is fighting that minuscule amount. I guess it's easier to find money for those $10-15,000 raises than that .65 cents

Anonymous said...

The IBEW got 1 year of a raise then renegotiate next year. The PEU got zero raises unless they sign a contract for 1 4% raise every 3 years. Does this look like leadership and fairness throughout? I wish I was in the IBEW at least they know how to fight for their people.

Anonymous said...

Anon @8:02 maybe it's time you look at who represents you on the negotiation board and maybe it's time for a change there.

Anonymous said...

lynn from reading your blogs it seems as if all the employees are fed up with the city? Why hasn't any of this hit the papers yet? Judging by a few comments by people towards the end it seems as if the city manager should watch his back. The old saying goes that if you light enough fires your bound to burn yourself,

Anonymous said...

anon @ 9:55am. Everyone in the PEU Union is upset about the horrible representation we have received over the last 8 years, that's why SOOO many have and are dropping out of the Union. Why pay their salaries if they cant get anything done for us. We need stronger representation.