Friday, June 25, 2010

Next!

The carnage continues at the library. So many good people, caring people who have given the high level of service the community has come to expect at the Troy Public Library, are being let go today. Several were told yesterday, but most are hearing today.

One by one they are being called into the Director's office and getting the bad news. And while waiting to find out...Who's going to be called? My shift is over, is it safe to go home? Should I report tomorrow? What is happening? Am I safe or am I gone? Did you hear about...?

This is the real face of Option 1.

I despair for our community. I despair for the truth. But today I despair for my co-workers, many of whom are going to sit at their dinner tables tonight with not much of an appetite, trying to convince themselves it will be all right, a gnawing pain in the pit of their stomachs, some wondering why, some wondering how they're going to be able to pay bills, afford medicines, etc.

Real lives, real people. Please remember them when you think about this situation. It's not an intellectual exercise, a financial game, or a political opportunity. It's either a bad situation forced by circumstances, or it's a moral and political scandal. What do you think?

Monday, June 21, 2010

Monday, bloody Monday

This had to be a tough weekend for a lot of people. Today and through the remainder of the week many library part time staffers are getting the sack as the library unwinding continues. Information can be found here on the library's Facebook page. As of today, no one in authority has communicated who these people are. All we know is the day they are told will be their last day.

So next time someone tells you about the "highly paid city workers", ask them if they know any of the $8-$13 per hour part timers who had no benefits and now have no jobs after years of service. And the next time someone tells you they aren't going to close the library, just take a look at how fast this is all coming apart.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

A bridge too far?

I'm ill over this news. And I'm speechless. I suppose it speaks for itself.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Look for the union label...

...but look soon because unless the unions get real about the what is happening and how they are in fact becoming the enemy of the middle class, then they will cease to exist and having a union card will be something you'll hide instead of proudly display.

What is happening here? How is it public sector unions all over the country are bankrupting communities and states with no apparent push back? Certainly none in Troy. But do I detect a coming backlash ?

Michael Barone explains the phenomenon we're seeing, or maybe more accurately, the siege we're under. This is why, perhaps the only reason why, Troy is closing its library and ultimately laying off 100 library employees. Remember, the $3.8 million in fund transfers ostensibly meant to delay police layoffs is the entire annual budget (fully funded budget) for the library. Think about that. A person close to the process called that money, "Nothing." Nothing? It could have funded the library for an additional year. Of course that evidently does not serve Option 1 goals so it's moot to the majority of this Council. Incredible.

And if you really want to be depressed, the Cato Institute presents damning reality check statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis on how public sector unions and public sector employees are far outpacing private sector salaries and benefits in this economy. It's stunning. Makes Barone's "parasitic" observation ring more true.

Can we survive as a city with a police department growing from 41% of general fund expenditures to over 57%? Granted much of this growth is by elimination of other services and departments, but even the police department understands that is untenable. If the City Council can't face it, and the city administration won't act on it, then the police department at least seems to be quite aware of what this means. More on that in a later post. (Editor's note: And as always, I hope it goes without saying that the Troy Police Department is not the enemy. They have important jobs and they deserve better pay than the rest of us. But budget growth at the cost of shutting down the rest of the city?)

Monday, June 7, 2010

No free lunch

Like other communities and other libraries, Sterling Heights is acting; and you won't like it if you're one of those who believe it's not big deal if we lose library because we have other nearby libraries. We don't.

We need to get used to this kind of thing. Neighboring communities are giving us some of the same attitude I've heard within Troy about non-residents using our services. Never mind those residents buy gas here, eat lunch here, shop here, and in many cases I'm aware of, actually choose to move here. This is part of what galls me about the library being referred to strictly as a "quality of life" service. The Troy Public Library is an economic generator and a key component of community communications. The library has more to do with the image of Troy than anything else this side of Somerset. And yes, it is also a quality of life service. Since when did that become extraneous to the purpose of a community? Isn't quality of life THE determining factor in people's desire to live in a community? Is this how far the disconnect has grown in our city administration and City Council?

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Winston Churchill once said...

...when you're going through hell, keep going. Sound advice.

It's June and I have many things I'd like to say. Some are rants and some are outright vents. But as much as I want to speak about things with a passion that would likely embarrass people in responsible positions, it really doesn't serve to accomplish anything beyond satisfying my own need to feel better about the injustices I see.

I can do better than that. We can do better than that.

So here are few items to move us into June:
  1. Last week six long-time librarians were laid off effective June 30. That constitutes 6/7 th's of our entire full time librarian staff. These are the people primarily responsible for the library's standing, identified in the Hennen's American Public Library rating index, which states the Troy Public library as one of the finest library's in the nation - top ten in our population category. So why give the librarians the credit? First of all, the entire staff is responsible, but most know that without the librarians it wouldn't happen. They are on the front line of service, and do a job so misunderstood as to make me want to scream. And because according to the posting, "Data is based on statistics collected in the 2006/2007 reporting year." That means it predates both our current city and library administrations. And their reward is to lose their jobs. The library unwinding has begun in a big way and it's utterly shameful. Is this what our city has become?
  2. We have some new data, as posted last week. It's quite fascinating in how it exposes the many missed opportunities to begin making the necessary fiscal adjustments by exposing the historical data. Please take the time to review it and comment or ask questions if you don't understand the numbers.
  3. Our Option 3 &3A are still posted and available for your review. They can be downloaded and shared. No one has said they won't work financially. The only comments we keep hearing from many in city leadership positions is that there is no political will to do so.
And so we move toward the end of a painful and dysfunctional fiscal year. The future appears to dark for many. But I do not accept that judgment. It won't be easy, but we can drive our leaders to follow the path they don't want to follow. We can continue to appeal to our union staff's to give more and get over whining about what they already gave. The fact of the matter is that many of them will be giving back 100% shortly, as so many of the non-union staff's are giving now, if we don't come together and do it PDQ. And I say this as a city employee who is at risk and willing to give back to help our community save it's services. The only way to do that is to save the jobs that provide those services. This calculus is undeniable.

Most of us are ready to take pay reductions to fix this, or at the very least make it less draconian (the City Manager won't even consider it). But those that aren't, regardless of department, are making a choice to lay themselves off. Well, that's their choice to make. Many high earners will take early retirement which fixes a big mess, or leave for greener pastures, wherever those are. Choosing to leave voluntarily fixes a big mess, too. And the remaining employees will be here, at a lower rate of pay, to continue to serve the community.

What's wrong, exactly, with that plan?