By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Board
Louie Wright, head of the KC firefighters union, and his followers want to keep sticking it to KC taxpayers.
Wright has set up a battle with Mayor Mark Funkhouser over pensions.
That's why dozens of firefighters and other city employees showed up in force at Thursday's City Council meetings. They want to apply pressure to keep things the way they are.
The mayor, fortunately, doesn't.
He points out that the city's current pension system is a costly burden for city taxpayers, and changes are needed.
The city is pouring millions into retirement packages for firefighters and other city employees. And these packages are often far better than even the pensions that exist at a fast-diminishing number of U.S. companies.
Last week, the mayor correctly said it was time to "bring our retirement systems and health care benefits in line with standard business practices. Most workers across the country handle their retirements through 401K programs. Our pension fund is about as modern as our sewer system."
So some kind of change has to be made, especially for new employees. Essentially, the city would contribute less to retirement packages and the employees would contribute more.
Wright's response?
"It’s off the table," Wright huffed. "It’s not negotiable. We’ll not make that change as long as I’m the leader of Local 42."
Wright says it would be more expensive for taxpayers to change the retirement system.
Does he have proof? Wright will need to bring it with him as this issue is debated in the coming weeks and months at City Hall.
At some point, Funkhouser and the City Council will decide what's best for taxpayers -- and for city employees.
Meanwhile, Wright will continue to use his firefighting buddies as a political cudgel to get his point across.
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Hello - get real!
Is the problem that the City provides good retirement pension to employees, or is the problem that American corporations prefer giant profits at the expense of their employees? And regarding China, how can we compete with a country where its citizens lack basic free speech, where citizens are abused and murdered if they speak out, and where the currency is kept artificially low and not allowed to float on the open market? If we want to compete with China, we all must start working for $0.50 per hour! That includes you Yael!
Unions need to go away
Right on, Onestackdram!
We have illegal immigrants now that we can shove into burning buildings, killing two birds with one stone, so to speak. Cheap labor, no benefits or retirement.
Actually, unions are going away. Look at the stats over the last 25-30 years: declining membership and strength, coinciding with the shrinking middle class and the failure of wages to keep pace with inflation.
If we can just manage to maintain this progress, the Chinese will be having their goods made in the U.S.A.
Gotta go with the cheap labor, dude.
Beauty is skin deep but DUMBTH is clear to the bone
Unions are the demise to
Unions are the demise to this country. While they once served a wonderful purpose, now they are just killing the amercian economy, because they drive wages and benefits to the point where the cost of doing buisness is too high to remain in buisness. Unions need to GO AWAY.
recipie for another disaster
Noted and point well taken. The debacle will come if he, the Squid and their views are discarded and he gets angry which of course is their normal state of being. Oh well, he will always have Yael to tell the firemen/women how great Funk is and how he is doing the "smart with the money thing." Hopefully everyone will keep calm, keep their mouths shut and remember not to ask the Grand Buffoon why he needs his raise, why he is entitled to his raise, why he snookered the council into allowing Big Ed Wolf to double dip and why everyone else should give back wages and benefits.
Credibility Issues
I don't think that Mayor Funkhouser has much credibility here.
He gladly accepted the same benefits he is looking to cut.
He is gladly cashing pension checks.
He gladly took a pay raise.
While the benefits system probably needs to be re-worked, this Mayor is not the one who can lead on this issue.
Yael and Funk
Yael is diminished, drifitng off into oblivion and thus won't be a major part of this discussion/negotiation any more. And when the Star gives him the shoe, we will never hear from him again. As to the Funk... if giving the firefighters a pension is going to take even $1 away from his raise, he will throw them all under a bus.
That being said, Kansas City is running out of money and maybe even borrowing power. So everyone is going to have to learn to accept and take less. Even the firemen/women.
EVEN YOU FUNK A DUNK..........
"Sticking it" to whom????
So you work with the understanding that you make $x, and also earn $y in pension benefits. Then when it's convenient, Yael thinks the same people should draw fewer benefits as determined by...YAEL? Yael implies that benefits are overly generous, but doesn't include the questions of the work performed, the value of that work, and the amount paid in wages.
Admittedly, this is a common strategy in the business world as well as in government. My word is my bond until it's inconvenient or expensive. You know that burning house you ran into last week? Well, house-running-into ain't worth what it used to be.
Are firefighters overpaid in wages and benefits? That might be a legitimate question.
Right after you answer, Yael, I'd be happy to light a fire under your arse and negotiate the value of extinguishing it.
Beauty is skin deep but DUMBTH is clear to the bone
you're kidding again, right Yael?
At some point, Funkhouser and the City Council will decide what's best for taxpayers -- and for city employees.
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You don't believe that any of the parties to this discussion/negotiation have the best interests of the citizens in mind, do you?