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San Diego City Employees pension fund ailing
If the gov hired on an objective basis, instead of a subjective basis, I would be in the top 1%. How else do you account for the GED educated Mark Furman's getting hired ============== A large portion of the police officer position requires interaction with people. That is tested pre-hire by an interview. Just a hunch, but I'm guessing you failed in the ability to interact with people part.— January 6, 2009 9:42 a.m.
San Diego City Employees pension fund ailing
Your limited continuing education is employer paid on employer time, the notion that volunteers would be unable to do this PAID TRAINING is preposterous. ================== Really? Look at the Department of Labor stats on volunteerism in America. http://www.bls.gov/news.release/volun.nr0.htm The average person who does volunteer (which is only around 26% of the population) spends 1 hour per week volunteering. How are they to keep up with even the training, no less going on actual responses? Remember state law requires that volunteer firefighters receive the same exact training and equipment as paid firefighters. So if I understand, you're now upset that we get paid while we're training to protect you?— January 6, 2009 9:39 a.m.
San Diego City Employees pension fund ailing
Don, ALL San Diego firefighters have at least some college. Half the members are paramedics. Paramedic school takes about a year and a half of college. I have no idea how many folks have degrees. Johnny asserts that having a degree at the time of hire is pertinent. Maybe, but apparently the city's personnel department didn't think so. The reality is that having a degree is more important the higher you promote. So I'm not sure that it really matters. As you said, it's not the cost of the education.... The other point is that every SD firefighter has a continuing education requirement. We're all keeping up with the latest in firefighting all the time... a minimum of two hours per shift of training. That's one important way in which we can never be replaced by community volunteers. They simply don't have the time to train. I know, I used to be one.— January 5, 2009 7:39 p.m.
San Diego City Employees pension fund ailing
I could never be hired at PD, I am too smart. But that does not change the fact that these jobs were closed to the outside until the last 20,30, 35 years in virtually all major muni's ==================== As I said, much of your hyperbole is driven by your past rejection. Many PD officers earn JD degrees while employed. I guess you're smarter than them? What does the hiring practice of 35 years ago have to do with today? Again, you're living in the past. Here's an interesting fact. For years, the union pushed the city to have a degree as a pre-req to hiring. The city refused because it reduced the pool of candidates. Here's another fact. The final hiring stages are done by city personnel... not members of the PD or FD. We don't have a choice in who gets hired. I know, shocking. How does that help your argument? Again, your comments make it pretty easy to see that your vitriol is based largely on your rejection many years ago. Sorry.— January 5, 2009 6:25 a.m.
San Diego City Employees pension fund ailing
Sexiest profession? Isn't that the oldest one? ======================== Do you see more calendars with prostitutes on them or with firefighters on them? Besides, I think that's a pretty ridiculous statement -- but it goes to show the general feeling of the public towards firefighters.— January 5, 2009 6:14 a.m.
San Diego City Employees pension fund ailing
Johnny, San Diego was under a consent decree 30 years ago. Since then the fire chiefs have included 2 black males, 1 white female and 1 white male. San Diego also has the highest percentage of female firefighters of any major department in the country. Sound like a racist organization? I believe your perception is tilted due to your failure to get hired by the PD. Why do you persist with this GED thing? You know darn well that getting hired as a firefighter requires one to be either an EMT or paramedic, both of which require college. Sorry to spoil your delusions. During the last test, less than 200 applicants passed the written exam and oral interview. The intent was to hire 60-90 from that list. Now do backgrounds and medicals on those folks... how many do you think were left? Think about what you just wrote -- 1000 applicants for 1 job. We were hiring up to 80. Did you see 80,000 people lined up at the Q? Over and over the facts have been presented to you, yet you continue spouting the same old lies. I don't mind if you don't like my profession or my compensation, but at least try to be an adult about it. Act like the attorney you claim to be.— January 4, 2009 5:49 p.m.
San Diego City Employees pension fund ailing
Fred, First and foremost, the Saathoff era is over. Most of us are celebrating. The only members of the current board who served under Ron frequently spoke out against him. I thank you for your vote of confidence. I've thought many times about running for union office, but prefer to influence politics in my own way. Let me give you a relatively recent background of why the union is so obstinate. Look at this article. http://www.flickr.com/photos/31313250@N07/2938442… Back in 1990, a similar funding crisis happened. We stepped up and took a 5% pay cut, being the 'good guys' as you suggest. We then went and begged the Port District for money to help keep the city afloat. No one but union firefighters helped to convince the port. The Port District ponied up and gave the city money. The city reneged on it's promise to give back our pay cut, and instead spent the money on the arts. The arts are NOT one the priorities you mentioned. Since then the union has taken a "never give back again" stance. Can you blame them? You wrote, "What we're all beginning to resent..." Which "all" is this? A recent (successful) city council candidate wisely ran some polls before seeking our endorsement. She found that firefighters in this town have an approval rating in the mid-90th percentile. Firefighters are at the top of the most trusted profession polls. And for good measure, we're (present company excluded) always voted the "sexiest profession". You will never change public perception until the day when little boys cease to stop and wave every time a fire engine goes by. That sounds a lot more smug than I want it to, but I'll let the facts stand. I'm a little curious about these "exclusionary policies" you speak of. Pretty much every minority group has representatives within the FD who conduct community outreach and recruiting -- for free, on their day off. The pool of candidates has shrunk drastically lately. That's due to competition from other departments, not exclusionary policies. Further, we've instituted a CERT program to enable community members to assist in their own safety. CERT classes are taught on an off-duty, volunteer basis by union firefighters.— January 4, 2009 4:38 p.m.
San Diego City Employees pension fund ailing
Just state the truth? Hardly. In criticizing me, you forget that I'm also the one pushing the union to negotiate for items that will reduce pension and health care liability. You'll find that hard to believe, but I am. We'll see how it turns out. Not even a no salary volunteer department is sustainable if the people refuse to fund it.— January 4, 2009 12:38 p.m.
San Diego City Employees pension fund ailing
Incidentally, it looks like all that money wasted on law school was just for the dumb ones. http://nctimes.com/articles/2009/01/03/news/inlan… Maybe the pay disparity is due to good ole supply and demand. There are too many lawyer in many states, thus competition for rates. There are precious few qualified as firefighters and most places are understaffed, thus higher wagers.— January 4, 2009 6:53 a.m.
San Diego City Employees pension fund ailing
Yes, I understand perfectly well that it was a government document. But... here's the rub... go look at the retirement figures. They're only about 25% for firefighters. And... Contra Costa County is one of the highest paid departments in the state. San Diego is one of the lowest. Salary for a firefighter in CCC is more than salary for a captain here. Reduce the rates on your sheet by around 30% and you'll see a pretty good representation of costs here. Nowhere near an average of $200K. That's my point. You throw out a document from another agency with a different pay scale, different benefits and a different contract and claim it proves your point about the pay and benefits here. As you put it, apples and oranges. Then when the document is adjusted to match the reality in San Diego, you stick your head in the sand and go about shouting, 'They all make 200K'. It simply isn't true. And yes, your claim was ALL make 200K, not an average of 200K.— January 3, 2009 3:56 p.m.