Labor
Can’t say I buy the rationale that Eloise Wyatt offers for preserving seniority policies among public school teachers: By eliminating seniority you get rid of the protection that lets teachers speak, up and stand up when an administration is hurting children. In my time as a special-education teacher in Providence, it was common for administration…
My situation may be unique (although I doubt it), but one of the consequences of Rhode Island’s political and economic structure is that it is so darn difficult just to get by and raise a family that little time remains to keep a consistently watchful eye on local political corruption. Such has been the case…
This has got to be my favorite argument that labor reps are making now that the problems are no longer deniable: “If you incentivize and stop burning your overtime, you’ll get $6 million in the blink of an eye,” [union lawyer Joseph] Rodio said Tuesday. Officers see the loss of prized overtime as a concession.…
If you skipped the historical essay to which Marc linked on Monday, give it a read. It concerns the making of the pension mess in Providence, and its most valuable insight, in my view, is the light that it shines on the entire dynamic created by public sector unions. The defining statement comes from firefighter…
Some last-minute budget amendments that Governor Lincoln Chafee has submitted to the General Assembly are telling with regard to his attitude and priorities: In another budget amendment, [Budget Officer Thomas] Mullaney announced a “medical-benefit holiday” for state workers, that will spare them, for one pay period, of having to contribute to their health insurance benefits.…
When traveling the state and talking to various union groups, it’s understandable–politically, yes, but also pragmatically–that General Treasurer Gina Raimondo is refraining from playing the blame game (well, except for various “politicians” of the past). She needs unions on board to make reform happen and if the rank and file can understand the scope of…
I’ve had occasion to drive through the construction site of the new Sakonnet River Bridge in Tiverton quite a bit, lately, and no matter how many times I see it, I never fail to be impressed with the structural inefficiency of the work habits. The other day, I saw three employees gabbing over two who…
RI General Treasurer Gina Raimondo uses an apt metaphor to describe the significance of the state’s public pension problem: “If you remember one thing from me this afternoon, remember this,” Raimondo said, speaking bluntly: “fixing this state’s pension system is not an issue, it is the issue. Our state retirement debt is an anchor holding…
Providence Journal reporter Mark Reynolds dipped into the pension situation in Johnston, on Sunday, focusing on this case: Fire Lt. William R. Jasparro was 41 when he ended his 20-year career as a Johnston firefighter in 1990. Jasparro’s retirement package paid him about $18,255 per year [with cost of living adjustments] — based on half…
A whopping 300 union teachers and organizers showed up for a weekend event at URI’s Ryan Center to back the opinion stated, as follows, by National Education Association Rhode Island President Larry Purtill: In Rhode Island, he said, many teachers distrust state Education Commissioner Deborah A. Gist and her aggressive approach to changes that echoes…
