The current contract between the Employer and PBPA will expire in June 2007. Contract negotiations will soon be upon us. What is it that we the members are looking for in our future contract? Monthly bid openings citywide, more V-days, P-days? Maybe you are looking for something else. Use this post to enlighten your fellow sergeants.
Let the comments begin.
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23 comments:
I would like the ability to switch a day off with another sgt or work for another sgt and vise versa, an extra pday would be nice but the biggy is no increase in the medical, I would forgo all of the above and a raise if they hold the line on med increases.
Hows about the Union puts together a list of ALL the spots in the department where there are Sergeants and the number of Sergeants in each unit. THEN, try and make more of those spots available for bid. The current system screws the honest hard working Sergeant with no wack.
Elimination of the 6 day work week.
As an older sergeant, and just this close to retirement as we all will be some day, my main concern is retiree hospitalization. What's the point in retireing if I'm going to be spending a quarter of my pension check on insurance. If that's the case, then I might as well stay until I'm as close to medicare coverage as I can get. If you think I'm useless now just wait until I hit my 60's. Next, would be holding the line on active member medical insurance. I know how tough it is to have family and have to pay thesed huge deductibles and copays. They eat up any raises that you end up getting. I guess that would be the important stuff, the rest is just gravy.
More money is always welcome, and hopefully it is not eaten up by a raise in health insurance costs. Vacancies should be posted on a more regular schedule. Switching days off with another sergeant on the watch would be nice.
I also hope to retire by 55. Which insn't tomorrow, but not that far away. So insurance costs for retiree's is another important issue to address.
Now if we can get all of these, let's reduce the meritorious promotions and watch assignments to less that 30% ????
Ok, I'll wake up from my dream soon.
Lift the residency requirement!
Lets do something simple like, negotiate a 10 year contract. The city already has an increase built into our insurance, or dental sucks, and we don't have vision. Lets just get an acceptable raise and make sure the contract soes not have to be renegotiated for the next ten years. Thats saves both us and the city millions of dollars. We always lose anyway and this way they can't just crank up a higher percentag of employee health insurance costs. Lets leave that be (I wish we could go back but that won't happen) and leave eveything else the same. That, would work for me...That doesn't mean I don't want to work 10 hour days,medical paid on retirement, 20 and out, 85% of final/top salary year at 25 years,to bids more than once a class, etcccc. But I don't see them happening...
Elimination of the 6th work day. Bid openings on a month to month basis like POs. Trading days off like firemen.
Trading days off, Discount on Medical for passing the "Fitness Award". Somehow eliminate the 6 day workweek without doing 10 hours in a day.
Discout on the medical for passing the "Fitness Award" sounds like a good idea on paper. A more physically fit insuree is less risky in theory, and what copper doesn't like a discount. I don't know what the numbers suggest, but it seem's like a good deal for all.
allowing Sgts to bid for spots every period like the P.O.'s. Why do we have to wait until they make a class and only have 1st watch spots to bid for. And did you ever notice the bids are alwys in the beginning of the year so you have to work 1st watch for 9 plus months until a watch bid.
I like the idea of being able to bid every period just like P.O.s. I would also like to eliminate the bid for district/watch. Why can't we simply bid for a district opening and then work on mgmt. discretion until watch bids open during the year. It would be a small price to pay for getting out of an undesirable district and would allow for flexibility within the district for covering shortages from furlos, medical, etc.
I want to go to the Airport (O'hare) NOW....
The sixth day work week. But I liked working the 10 hour day. It is a great schedule.
Bids more often.
But most important the pention fund must be fully funded. the fund is 52% under funded. Its required to be funded by statue. Were losing piles of intrest due to this.
I would like for us to self-insure ourselves, as the City's health insurance is crap compared to the private sector.
I have a friend who is a union drywall hanger & taper. He pays absolutely nothing for his doctor visits and only $5.00 for prescription drugs.
There are enough of us (1300) where we could obtain better insurance at a lower cost by seeking out our own health care provider. Thus, we should bargain with the city to take over our own health insurance.
Just a thought. . .
Just comments on what others have said: BEST
Hold the line on medical; otherwise we will be undercut on the raise we get
Pass the fitness test, discount our insurance
NOT SO GOOD
End residency-and watch your house lose $100000 in value if you aren't the first to sell
End the 6th day-and if you aren't in a unit or the most senior guy say hello to permanent Wed/Thur day off group
I think that sergeant had a great idea about a discount in health insurance for passing the fitness test.
Would also like to see a ten hour day but remain in a rotating day off group.
Same bids as PO's.
Fully fund the pension fund or city must pay a designated amount of interest to fund.
I also completely understand that there is strength in numbers but I feel it's time for the police and fire department's to make very clear that we desirve so much more then the other city employees. After all, we don't have positions like truck driver who ONLY drives the truck and so on. We must respond to all types of request for service and wear any number of hats.
Cut the meritorious percentage to 10% or less for promotions and watch assignments.
Finally, and not contract related, have FOP, PBBA, any other first responders unions, look into the idea of teaming up to obtain a health care insurance provider for all first responders that might cost less for us all.
Sergeant Dennis O'Brien--006th
Eliminate or alter the the intra-district bids for sergeants. The current system is being abused by exempts.
Currently, sgt bid positions are opened for bid to sgts already in the district before being offered for citywide bidding. Exempts take advantage of this system by transfering in, via their management option, the sgts of their choice (usually clout heavy sgts) so these sgts get first crack at the bid positions. Unfilled bid positions, if any remain, are then posted for citywide bidding. This unfair process results in lower-seniority, clout heavy sgts obtaining bid spots over sgts with more seniority.
For example, less than two years ago, 5 sgts retired from 022. Before their positions were offered for citywide bidding, several lower seniority sgts were transferred into 022 via management. These management sgts filled four of the five bid positions via the district internal bid process and only one bid position was offered for citywide bidding.
As it currently stands, this process of internally filling bid spots before opening them to citywide bidding favors clout over seniority and needs to be changed.
to 1:32
Also with that deal in 022....When that happened, a Sgt bid into 022 for the 1st watch spot. How long did he stay on the 1st watch???? maybe a period.
Because he's friends with the dc, he went to days as a mgmt spot. At least I think it was days but for sure, he didn't stay on 1st watch.
This means that just cause you bid to 1st watch in a different district, you are not stuck there till the new year. The dc can move you at will. ....if you're heavy enough.
health care, health care, health care. to say we are a union is a joke. a union has some barganing power, it can make threats and get results. we all just roll over and wait to have our stomachs rubbed, and told to like it. if i was to go to the private sector and pay what our retirees are paying i would at least get better coverage. we have to make it known that we are no longer going to be taken advantage of. the city just sold four parking garages and it seems all they are going to do is build more parks. how about taking some of that money and helping those of us that have made the mayor look so good when he talks of our big reduction in crime. better yet, let them keep the money and tell the truth how they reduce our crime by playing with the stats. i think this would be a better idea, and after that tell everyone how many police are protecting our city. let everyone know that the police are expendable and the city simply plays the odds, betting they can go longer with less, that is until a police officer gets killed. how about a cost of living raise just like the alderman just asked for, at least we can keep up with everyone else. i know that as police officer i am not going to get rich but at least i will be able to pay my bills and some extra. factor in side work, the six days and everything else,it is no wonder why we die so young. it is time that we stand up and demand the city recognizes our sacrifices. i say, raise my taxes, if it will keep my health insurance where it is and give me a raise i beg you to raise my taxes. they just went up to help the county and for that i get nothing, at least if they raise them to help us it will be going in my pocket.
Lift the residency requirement, PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lift your residency requirement. Where you lay your head at night has nothing to do with your job.
I agree. The residency requirement should be lifted. The job is enough responsibility working for the city without adding extra financial burden to working officers trying to find a reasonably-priced home within the city limits. Have you looked at the median price of a home, even off the Dan Ryan? About $190,s-200,000. Just look at the prices in the Sunday Trib. We're going broke trying to live and work in the same city.
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