Transit Hearing Wednesday at County Commission. By Geniusofdespair

Miami-Dade Metrobus, Metrorail and Metromover workers have been without a contract for more than three years - thanks to Mayor Gimenez and his staff.

The workers, members of Transport Workers Union Local 291, have been calling on elected officials to support public mass transit in Miami-Dade by increasing funding and increasing service that riders need so badly.

The traffic situation is getting worse - and public buses and trains are the answer.

Wednesday is the Board of Commissioners hearing on the contract dispute. 

Support our Union, support our transit, call your good for nothing County Commissioner and have them help the Transport Workers. They stood with us during a rally in Cutler Bay on February 3rd. Now stand up for them, help them get their contract. Conservatives would love to end our Unions but these organizations help our middle class get a living wage, in other words, Unions are the backbone of the dwindling middle class in America. Since the Republicans in congress recently were kind enough to give tax cuts to the wealthy Corporations, isn't it fitting that the middle class get something in return, like living wages and benefits for middle class members?

I am now without a car and these are the people I must rely on...if I can cross U.S. 1 in one piece to get to Metrorail. I can walk to Metrorail, I just can't get there safely to get to the County Commission Meeting Tuesday. What a bitch. But that is another post. I am doing my part to help traffic, I am one more person off the road, just like Eileen Higgins who is running for Bruno Barreiro's County Commission Seat, District 5. Vote for Eileen Higgins if you are in the district, if not, tell everyone in Miami Beach and Brickell that you know to Vote June 19th.  It is crucial to get the Barreiro dynasty out (his wife is running against Eileen).

Pictures of County Commissioners from the Transportation Summit:

Commissioner Xavier Suarez

County Commission Chair Steve Bovo

County Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava

From Clarence Washington, president of Transport Workers Union Local 291:


“We’ve tried to bargain in good faith with the mayor, but he is obsessed with trying to break our union and hurt our working-class members, who are primarily African-American and Latino. He is making demands on TWU Local 291 that are much more onerous that what he demanded from other municipal unions. We’re hoping the Board of Commissioners recognize this irrational imbalance.”

Piss Poor Two-Faced Union. By Geniusofdespair

Monica Russo: Shame on you!

“Our members proudly endorse Senator Anitere Flores in Senate District 39,” said Monica Russo, President of SEIU Florida State Council.  “Senator Flores understands that too many families in her district and around Florida are struggling to make ends meet, and that no one working 40 hours a week should live in poverty. We will look to Sen. Flores’ leadership on economic reform that will raise wages for low wage workers, as well as tackle issues confronting immigrant families.”

This seat was fought hard for in redistricting and was meant to be a moderate, Democratic seat. How are we ever going to get a more balanced legislature? It has been overwhelmingly Republican and will remain so until the unions muster up some integrity. If they remain cowardly, sweeping up crumbs of promises from candidates, they will soon find themselves trying to claw  their way up from an agonizing decline due to the shenanigans of the very candidates they are sucking up to.

You are putting an endorsement on a self proclaimed conservative Republican. Your union sucks to endorse this candidate.  Flores has done squat for all issues important to us EXCEPT now she is a poser so she can win. I hope she continues to do nothing for unions because that is what they deserve from her. Maybe they will learn something about doing the right thing instead of selling their soul for empty promises.

There is a very good Democrat running for this seat: Debbie Mucarsel-Powell.

Miami Dade County: Collective Bargaining Should Not Be Laced With Threats. By Geniusofespair

This doesn't sound like bargaining in good faith:

Tyrone Williams - Threats of Violence by geniusofdespair on Scribd

Raquel Regalado For Miami Dade County Mayor. Guest Blog by Norma Rae

Raquel Regalado...Our Next County Mayor?

The working people are ready to get rid of another bad politician. Just like we did when Lynda Bell was making life miserable for people who punch a clock, we are going to send Crooked Carlos Gimenez packing. The unions worked hard to put Daniella Levine Cava in office, and now we are going to do the same thing for Raquel Regalado!

That’s right. The South Florida AFL-CIO, with unions representing electrical workers, plumbers, carpenters, laborers, bus drivers, teachers, sanitation workers, painters, librarians and a whole lot more have decided to support Raquel Regaldo. We are going to dump Mayor Carlos Gimenez.

The scene at the South Florida AFL-CIO headquarters was crazy this week. First of all, Ms. Daisy Black, after giving a great account of herself, and testifying about her commitment to the working people of the County, collapsed. The head of the Fire Union was there and gave her CPR to keep her going until they could take her to the hospital. We are all so sad that she passed. Her family should be proud that she was speaking out about improving the lives of other people until the very end. May God bless her and welcome her home.

After all that commotion, and thinking Ms. Black would be OK at the hospital, the panel interviewed Ms. Raquel Regalado. She is a School Board Member and a very popular Spanish radio host. Well, she seemed to know quite a bit about what our union brothers and sisters are looking for. She never talked about money, but she did say she would change the working conditions for folks. Raquel seems ready to give us what Mr. Gimenez never has: R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

She promised to enforce the wage laws that are on the books. The County has laws to make sure people are getting fair pay on construction contracts, but nobody ever checks. Raquel said she would make sure people are looking at those payrolls and stop contractors from cheating. She says Gimenez is afraid to bother those contractors, cause they have all paid him for his campaign.

Raquel also told the panel that she wants open competition for county jobs. Young people need to have an opportunity to work and stay in Miami. She says people will be hired and promoted based on merit, not political connections. She knows what we are looking for. No more lobbyists acting like recruiters. And she is getting rid of those $250,000 a year Do-Nothing Deputy Mayors. Amen!

Now Gimenez came to be interviewed, after his friend Andy Madtes told him Raquel was killing it at her interview. The Mayor showed up and was talking nonsense about how he was one of us. He said he was a union member when he worked at the city. The man just spent five years trashing and kicking the unions and then he has the nerve to be saying that! Well, we want nothing to do with him.

His friend Andy Madtes tried to have all the unions sit on the sidelines during this election. He asked that the interview panel recommend to the members that we do a “no endorse” for the mayor’s race. Well, when everybody showed up at the union hall and heard that line, they said no way. This race is too important to act like it doesn’t matter.

A man from AFSCME made a motion to support Raquel Regalado, and another man  stood up and seconded that motion. Next, the whole place stood up to vote for Raquel! Carlos Gimenez may have a whole bunch of money from those county contractors, but Raquel Regalado has a whole bunch of new friends. And we will all be out there reminding our families, our friends and our neighbors to vote for Raquel Regalado on August 30th. Check your voter registration now and be ready to clean up county hall this summer. It is time for a fresh start and a new leader. Vote for Raquel!

Eye on Miami Saturday Editorial Page September 26th: The Rube Rubio; Mayor Privatize it or Sell It Gimenez, PBA Foils County Again. By Geniusofdespair

The Miami Herald Almost Has An Editorial Page...But They Don't

Marco Rubio looks lovingly at his longtime pal David Rivera

PISSY LITTLE RUBIO

He is doing better in the polls, why not? No one is writing the truth about him and his scummy friend David Rivera.  They are life long friends, roommates, they even bought a house together. Do you think the sleaze didn't rub off on Norman's Braman's boy? Norman, according to a letter in the Miami Herald (and Fox News) Rubio attended a fundraiser on Yom Kippur at the Texas home of Harlan Crow alleged to display paintings done by Hitler. Did you know that? Cut off funding him.

I want to see the video of his speeches in the Florida House. I bet they are chock full of crap. He didn't get to be speaker just by kissing ass. Gimleteye, Jeb is done, concentrate on this twit.

 " SELL IT OFF" CARLOS GIMENEZ: MAYOR PRIVATIZER 

Career Ending Quote.

Clark Kent has returned to voice his displeasure with our Strong Mayor who seems to want to sell off the County to private entities.

On Friday, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez said what he really felt, but hadn't told the public until now: "I don’t want to operate anything." he said. Did the mayor of a major US county really say that he wants to outsource the entire government? That's insane, but that's exactly what he's doing. He wants to turn all the functions of Miami-Dade County over to private companies. That includes water, parks, public safety, sewage, transit, libraries, garbage, everything that American cities have traditionally operated to assure accountability and public trust. Last week he announced he wanted to turn the main public library and the Historical Museum into a condo. What's going on here? I don't think people understand exactly how dangerous and extreme Carlos Gimenez is. People need to wake up fast before this county's government is essentially dissolved.

Here is a news flash for you Carlos: WE DON'T WANT YOU TO OPERATE ANYTHING.  Rebeca Sosa we really have to get rid of this loopy Strong Mayor. Gimenez is getting drunk with power. He doesn't want to operate anything? So lets not let him operate anything, or for that matter, do anything. Take it over County Commissioners, do your duty, do away with the strong mayor. Put it on the ballot for 2016. And, he can't do much of anything without your votes. Don't give him your votes!

HUDSTEAD ABSENTEE BALLOT SCANDAL - MARK BELL'S MAYORAL BID

The latest is fingerprints of absentee ballot gatherers, 2 hired by Jose Luis Castillo. Tim Milton's fingerprints (hired by the Porter campaign) were found on the absentee ballots picked up by James Hendry Brady and his accomplice. The theory is Brady knew where Milton was working his magic and decided to go to the head of the line and pick up the ballots knowing they were delivered and supposed to be picked up and mailed by Milton. Anyway, who's fingerprints came first. James Brady is being charged and the trial was originally set for September 21st but that has since changed. There was a motion to take Brady's fingerprints 6/29 and it was granted. Luis Robainas is a subpoena witness. So, in other words the trial is progressing in Judge Victoria Brennan's State Court. And neither side should have their grimey hands on absentee ballots.

Jimmie Williams - he also had a restaurant financed by Wayne Rosen

In other Hudstead news, one of the Councilmen Jimmie Williams actually lives in Miami Gardens not Homestead. He commutes to Homestead to vote and pick up his paycheck. Neighbors in Miami Gardens confirm he lives there. How could a pastor be so sneaky and under-handed, and LIE? He is also in trouble over a car dealership sweetheart deal (on the grounds of the bowling alley that the city of Homestead owns).

JUMBO'S

Former owner of Jumbo's  - Bobby Flam Eating Dessert at Panera's

 The iconic 24 hour dinner in Liberty City is now closed and the land sold. I sat next to the former owner, Bobby Flam and we struck up a conversation.  He said he just couldn't make any money there anymore. Apparently Bobby's daughter is married to Author Brad Meltzer.  Brad, according to Bobby, struck up a friendship with George Bush, Sr. after he got a note from him praising his books. Brad admits to hanging out with the Bush clan but Bobby Flam wouldn't fork over any of the photos. Brad says his new novel is based on that Bush clan friendship.

We talked about all the County Commissioners. This is the way I get info...gossiping. He said he never got a penny from the County or the City but he got a lot of promises especially from Michelle Spence Jones.


PBA HAS A SECOND WIN - THIS TIME FROM THE PUBLIC EMPLOYEES RELATION COMMISSION - AGAINST MIAMI DADE COUNTY

 

So not only did the PBA get the Mayor's power to veto out of the picture on stand-offs with bargaining (by the Florida Supreme Court), the PBA won back some perks taken away by the County for County Employees.  These are heavy wins for the County Unions. I guess the expenses to make this right are not in the budget. Where will Jenny Moon find the funds?

There are Subpoenas on Mayor Gimenez and Chair Rebeca Sosa to Reveal Their Conversation. By Geniusofdespair

It appears the PBA got a hearing officer from the Public Employees Relations Commission to make Rebeca Sosa and Mayor Gimenez testify on a conversation they had regarding a collective bargaining impasse during a commission meeting. The County fought the PBA on this but lost out.

Good reading material Order Authorizing Issuing of Subpoenas...

CA-2014-006 Order Uthorizing Issuance of Subpoenas

LINK

Why I Support Unions. By Geniusofdespair

Union membership in the private sector has fallen under 7% - Levels not seen since 1932 according to Bureau of Labor Statistics.  In 1983 there were 17.7 million union workers.

People to be feared? Union members.

I am amazed on how many of you have bought into union bashing. It is like the Welfare Mom driving a Cadillac scenario that people believe, even though it is not the norm. Heaven forbid some regular folks should have more than me. And the Koch's have plenty more than me and get public money for their businesses: our money.

Most union workers do not make a bundle. They make a middle class wage.  A few game the system, so we should demonize them all?  We now have robber barons and union busters like David Koch who makes $3 million an hour based on a 40 hour work week. Or in a less liberal benefit estimate $1.8 million every hour.  Do I hear any of you complaining about that? The more money they make, the less people are employed by them. They help their own pockets at workers expense. You are fixed on these middle class people who are mostly making about $40,000 a year. Try and bring up a family on $40 to $60 a year. Yes some of the union workers in Miami Dade County make over $100,000. But you are concentrating on the wrong target. That is a small minority.

The Kochs are after unions and the minimum wage and you are falling for their Welfare Queen argument.  You are being diverted by slick campaigns trying to make you hate unions. Unions are made up of people like you and me, your neighbors.  You will never be a Koch brother so why are you supporting their agenda of "evil greedy unions".  Yes, John Rivera is a bastard but unions need fighters because of all the stupidity you all believe. He is tough and a negotiator should be. I would want him watching my back.  Anyway, you go on and believe the man making millions every hour and hate your neighbor for having a steady union job or your other neighbor asking for a higher minimum wage....a chance at a middle class life.

I was a member of the AFL-CIO. I made very little. Last word: Stop hating your fellow man. Hate the people assuming you are so naive they are trying to manipulate you. Hate them for thinking you are so stupid you would argue against your own interest: Our last chance to have and grow a middle class that is now having their jobs shipped overseas.  As I said before, union bashers are not welcome on this blog. Write to the Koch brothers and bash unions to them or go watch Norma Rae. I am ashamed of Carlos Gimenez's treatment of his staff belonging to unions. Fiscal conservative doesn't mean you choose the Koch Brothers over your own staff.

Police Union Cuts in a Nutshell.

MDPD Highlights: We received this from one of the police union members. It provides a breakdown of how much the Mayor's cuts will hurt public safety.

* MDPD will continue to provide police services to other County
entities: the FY 2014-15 Proposed Budget includes reimbursements for
services provided to Jackson Health Systems ($1.166 million), the Port
of Miami ($8.773 million), and the Miami-Dade Aviation Department
($31.117 million)

* In FY 2014-15, MDPD will continue to provide contracted police
services to the following municipalities: Town of Miami Lakes, local
patrol ($7.226 million); Town of Cutler Bay, local patrol ($8.664 million)
and optional services ($262,000); Village of Palmetto Bay, local
patrol ($7.235 million) and optional services ($86,000); City of Doral, optional
services ($223,000); and City of South Miami, School Crossing Guard
services
($70,000)

* The FY 2014-15 Proposed Budget includes the addition of three Police
Officer positions at the Airport District ($259,000) and two Police
Officer positions at the Town of Cutler Bay ($173,000); funding is
provided by the contracting entity

* The FY 2014-15 Proposed Budget includes the elimination of the Sport
Unit within the Special Patrol Bureau, which is deployed to address
increasing targeted crime trends throughout the County; position
reductions include one Police Lieutenant, two Police Sergeants, and
nine police Officers ($1,059 million)

* The FY 2014-15 Proposed Budget includes the elimination of the
Incident Management Team (IMT) within the Special Patrol Bureau, which
provides organizational and logistical support during large scale
pre-planned and unplanned emergency incidents; position reductions
include one Police Lieutenant, three Police Sergeants, and five Police
Officers ($806,000)

* The FY 2014-15 Proposed Budget includes the reduction of the Motors
Unit within the Special Patrol Bureau, which provides enhanced uniform
traffic enforcement, including DUI enforcement, and assists with
dignitary assignments; position reductions include one Police
Sergeant, and three Police Officers ($351,000)

* The FY 2014-15 Proposed Budget includes the reduction of the Marine
Patrol Unit within the Special Patrol Bureau, which enforces maritime
laws in the coastal and inland waterways of the County, conducts
search and rescue operations, and renders assistance to neighboring
agencies; position reductions include three Police Officers ($259,000)

* The FY 2014-15 Proposed Budget includes the reduction of the Special
Events Unit (SEU) within the Special Patrol Bureau; the unit is
responsible for coordinating all major events and in-kind services,
and provides training and coordination of the Special Events Response
Team (SERT); position reductions include one Police Lieutenant and two
Police Sergeants ($282,000)

* The FY 2014-15 Proposed Budget includes the elimination of the
Special Response Team (SRT) Training Unit and one SRT Team Unit,
including one Police Lieutenant, two Police Sergeants, and nine Police
Officers ($1,059 million); two SRT Team Units (28 sworn personnel)
will be retained to respond to tactical incidents countywide, such as
bomb threats, hostage situations, high-risk search warrants, and
barricaded subjects

* In FY 2014-15, the Department will close the Midwest District
Station and divide the area of responsibility between the surrounding
districts; sworn staff reductions include one Police Major, one Police
Captain, one Police Lieutenant, one Police Sergeant and seven Police
Officers
($1,063 million); civilian staff reductions include one Administrative
Secretary, one Secretary, one Information Officer, one Police Station
Specialist and one Police Records Specialist ($328,000); the Special
Patrol Bureau will be relocated from a privately owned facility to the
Midwest District Station ($242,000)

* The FY 2014-15 Proposed Budget includes the reduction of 16 Police
Crime Analysis Specialist 1 positions in Police Services ($1.243
million)

* The FY 2014-15 Proposed Budget includes the reduction of 50 Police
Officers who are currently in the Basic Law Enforcement (BLE) Academy
($4.316 million) 90

* The FY 2014-15 Proposed Budget includes the reduction of one Police
Captain ($108,000) and four Police Sergeant positions ($368,000) from
the Professional Compliance Bureau, which investigates complaints
against MDPD employees, conducts staff inspections, and ensures
compliance with departmental policies and accreditation standards

* The FY 2014-15 Proposed Budget includes the elimination of the
Tactical Narcotics Team (TNT) Unit and reduction of the Gang Unit
within the Narcotics Bureau, which address drug and gang activity in
the highest crime areas of the County; position reductions include
three Police Lieutenants, 10 Police Sergeants, and 22 Police Officers
($3.115 million); these reductions will impact the Department's
ability to address drug trafficking and gang related crimes, which
tend to influence other types of violent crimes

* In FY 2014-15, the Economic Crimes Bureau and Narcotics Bureau will
be merged to create the new Organized Crime Bureau; position
reductions include one Police Major, one Police Sergeant, and nine
Police Officers ($869,000), as well as one Administrative Secretary
($68,000); economic crimes investigations will be assigned to the
General Investigations Units (GIU) at the Districts

* The FY 2014-15 Proposed Budget includes the following position
reductions in the Crime Scene Investigations Bureau: three Police
Officers
($259,000) and 10 Police Officers to be replaced by 10 civilian Crime
Scene Technicians ($261,000 net savings)

* In FY 2014-15, a Police Captain position ($108,000) will be
eliminated in the Homeland Security Bureau

* The FY 2014-15 Proposed Budget includes the reduction of Special
Victims Bureau, which will transfer domestic violence investigations
to the General Investigations Units (GIU) in the Districts; position
reductions include one Police Lieutenant, four Police Sergeants, and
12 Police Officers; delays in follow-up investigations are expected
since GIU will assume more duties with fewer personnel ($1.503
million)

* The FY 2014-15 Proposed Budget includes the following position
reductions in the Forensic Services Bureau: two Police Officers from
the Vehicle Research Unit ($173,000); three Police Sergeants and three
Police Officers from the Property and Evidence Section to be replaced
by six civilian Property and Evidence Specialist 1s ($243,000 net
savings)

* The FY 2014-15 Proposed Budget includes the reduction of 12 Police
Crime Analysis Specialist 1 positions in Investigative Services
($932,000)

* The FY 2014-15 Proposed Budget includes the following position
reductions in the Robbery Bureau; two Police Sergeants and nine Police
Officers in the Robbery Intervention Detail (RID) Unit ($961,000),
which conduct proactive enforcement initiatives to combat violent
crime; and one Police Sergeant and five Police Officers in the
Investigative Unit ($524,000), which provide follow-up investigations
of robberies and other violent crimes; these reductions will impact
the Department's ability to proactively address robberies, which have
increased 10% since 2012 The FY 2014-15 Proposed Budget includes sworn
attrition savings for 281 sworn vacancies ($25 million) and 35
civilian vacancies ($4.3 million) anticipated by the end of FY 2014-15

* The FY 2014-15 Proposed Budget includes $1.245 from the 2013 COPS
Hiring Program (CHP) grant; the grant supports 57.5 percent of the
salary and fringe costs of 15 Police Officers over a three year
period, with a maximum value of $1.875 million

* In FY 2014-15, the Department will initiate a lease-purchase
agreement to replace approximately 650 frontline vehicles (includes
marked and non-marked vehicles); the Department currently maintains
more than 3,300 vehicles in its fleet inventory

* In FY 2013-14, the Department transferred 46 positions to the
Information Technology Department (ITD); the consolidation has
resulted in a recurring savings of approximately $1.5 million

* The FY 2014-15 Proposed Budget includes various reductions of
operating expenses, including the deferred purchase of desktop
computers
($1 million), tasers ($580,000), and tactical vests ($285,000)

* In total, the FY 2014-15 Proposed Budget includes the elimination of
228 sworn positions ($19 million) and 57 civilian positions ($4.2
million) department-wide; sworn staff from specialized units,
investigative units, and support functions will be redeployed as
needed to maintain the current level of service in uniformed patrol

Mayor Gimenez's Proposed Budget. By Geniusofdespair

I am supposed to be on vacation.  I was told that the 2 people cut from the Mayor's office are he and Osterholt. I would go with those cuts.


I got this from an individual in the police union yesterday:

We know the Mayor held a press conference today releasing his budget plan. As we have in the past, the PBA went to hear what the Mayor was releasing but we were kicked out of the meeting and not allowed to attend, listen or take notes of anything that was said. So much for transparency.

I don't like firing people, I like getting rid of programs. Everything they cut from programs I like. How about getting rid of paying for all the purple bags Lynda Bell has been giving out, shirts, and other crap the county gives out. And end those mom and pop grants and those TRADE trips to Spain and Paris. There are so many programs to get rid of. Free turkeys, special events rigged to get people re-elected. Can someone with a brain look at the budget. And all you morons against raising taxes, the Bonds you keep approving are putting us in the poorhouse. They are much worse than raising taxes. STOP approving bonds. And by all means: NO MONEY FOR SPORTS TEAMS OR CONVENTION CENTERS OR MUSEUMS FROM THE BUDGET. I am also against social service organizations getting money from the budget, like Ron Book's charity. HE DOESN"T NEED THE MONEY. Let commissions fund these from their office budgets. It seems disgusting that Lynda Bell has on the agenda tomorrow to divert GOB money (from what were supposed to be worthy projects to stimulate the economy) in the amount of $5,000,000 to her biggest campaign contributor, Wayne Rosen, while people are being put out of work.

Police Union in Deep Shit with Mayor Gimenez. He Is Not Bargaining in Good Faith In My Opinion. By Geniusofdespair

The following is a summary of some of the concessions the Mayor is asking for:


· Eliminate binding disciplinary appeals

· Restrict your ability to vote

· Eliminate body scans from physicals

· Eliminate the requirement for the department to fill promotional vacancies within 3 pay periods

· Eliminate holiday pay except for New Year’s

· Place caps on sick leave payout

· Acting rank pay only if in acting rank for 40 hours

· Eliminate requirement that the Department cannot alter schedules to avoid paying overtime

· Eliminate longevity bonus

· 10% reduction of base pay

· Eliminate hazardous duty pay ($125 biweekly)

· Eliminate non-sworn specialty pay supplement ($80 biweekly)

· Eliminate FDLE supplement (4%)

· Eliminate first responder supplement (5%)

· Eliminate night differential (5%)

· Eliminate requirement that transfers cannot be used as discipline

· Eliminate performance evaluation appeals

· Eliminate flex pay

· Eliminate non-job basis status for lieutenants

The Mayor also wants random drug testing. The entire proposal seems more retaliatory than anything else and they could not provide any cost savings or analysis on the vast majority of the proposals they submitted. The County was quick to threaten and reiterated that the Mayor WILL present a balanced budget and will not recommend raising the millage. We know for some of you the above may come close to losing almost half your pay.

Here is a letter from one policeman describing his experience:

Hello President Rivera,

I first want to thank you for fighting so hard for us and I know we have a long and hard battle ahead of us. I am so tired of the mayor making false claims or not having to justify his deceptive words and actions. He does not seem to care if he says one thing and does another and it appears that no one can hold him accountable. Look at what he did with the vote for the "no kill shelter" and there is no recourse for his outright deception! Could we please publicly ask the question as to why the economy is recovering and rebounding with most other police agencies and governments doing the same, yet regrettably, Miami-Dade County can't seem to manage its budget in a way that we are recovering too.

The situation just keeps getting worse and worse every year. Could it be the mismanagement by the mayor and the numerous Department Directors and Deputy Mayors he has hired on the down low for hundreds of thousands of dollars per employee each a year. Can we audit them to find out what the problem is??? It just does not make mathematical sense that we have less employees (via vacancy eliminations, almost no academy classes and retirements) than we did years ago (even when the economy was doing worse than in is now) and we still have such a huge deficient. Where is the money???

And how can the economy be rebounding and growing but we are still in despair and facing the worse cuts and layoffs in the 22 years that I have been a cop? Obviously someone is not doing their job and should not be re-elected if we are still in such bad shape. And all this after we have already given up so much! Furlough days for the civilians who make the least money, no holidays, overtime, night diff cuts, paying thousands for insurance supplements and paying for the most ratty and unsafe cars I have ever seen! Our cars are an embarrassment and unsafe. I would love to know how many of our fleet have over 100,000 miles. We used to have safety standards for our vehicles and their maintenance and they just keep lowering the standards, even if it means putting our officers at more risk.

In past years, I do believe that it was necessary for us to cut back and make sacrifices in order to facilitate a recovery; however, there is no longer evidence that those sacrifices are still necessary. I am personally worried about the safety and well being of the 400 plus sworn employees that are faced with losing their jobs and the many more who are faced with getting demoted at the cold hands of the mayor. It is a horrible and potentially deadly situation when officers are sent out there to do their jobs and their heads are not fully in the game because of the extreme stress caused by the impending job losses.

In November of 2010, our Career Criminal Unit was disbanded because of budget cuts and that Unit now became just one squad. I will never get over losing Roger and Amanda, as I am sure their families wont either. No matter what happens, I pray that the mayor does the right thing and stops this vendetta against those who proudly wear the "Brown Gown" and still serve the community faithfully. Thank you for your time and for your dedication.

Mayor Gimenez in a memo says he is going to cut everyone's pay by 10%. Guest Blog by Norma Rae

No one expected Mayor Gimenez would want to financially cripple the household budget of every county worker...

Mayor Carlos Gimenez must be in a Depression. The Great Recession is over, but Gimenez is still walking around under a really, really dark cloud. No matter how much he nods his head, he just can’t shake the negative thoughts. In his head, he must see everything coming to a bad end. Maybe he needs some Prozac or something. The only time he has positive thoughts is when he is sharing the stage with David Beckham or some other billionaire stadium owner. When he is with those billionaires, he is all bold and willing to raise hotel taxes and give property tax breaks worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

But when it comes time to balancing the annual budget, poor old Gimenez just can’t seem to figure it out. He always says he has a budget gap, and the only way to close that gap is to hit up the workers. Like we don’t have expenses, obligations, mortgages, car payments, childcare, children in college, or sick parents? Last time I looked, I don’t have an ATM machine in my kitchen for Mayor Gimenez.

Gimenez sent a memo to the Commissioners saying he was going to reduce everyone’s pay by 10%! What is wrong with the man? Even that bonehead Rick Scott figured out the recession is over. State workers actually got a pay increase. According to the Mayor’s memo, the labor unions have not asked for anything. It makes sense that the unions didn’t ask for anything: no one in the county is expecting any pay increases. But no one expected the Mayor would want to financially cripple the household budget of every county worker.

For some reason, this Mayor thinks he can just crap on us. We do not work on the Gimenez Plantation! He wants a 10% pay cut in base pay and another series of cuts that will reduce take home pay by an additional 5-15%. Why would the elected leader of the county want to insult every employee with these crazy salary cuts? Where does all this vindictiveness come from? Why does he have such hatred for county workers?

Gimenez listed 10 other ways he was going to reach into the employees’ pockets. According to his plans, he wants to make the furlough days permanent, eliminate the floating holiday, end pay supplements, and eliminate longevity bonuses. His labor negotiators are also busy working on ways to cut $80 million from the healthcare plan. That means the 35,000 employees (County and Jackson) will be paying another $2,200 out-of-pocket for healthcare next year.

If the Mayor has any friends who care for him, it might be time to sit him down and ask him how he is doing. Maybe this job of Strong Mayor is not right for him. This is not working out for anyone. The negative outlook of the Mayor is now reflected in the county bond ratings. He is making everybody have a negative outlook. Maybe it’s time for him to just go golfing every day. If you are his friend, tell him it’s OK to resign. Really, it’s OK, Gimenez. You can go home now.



Lynda makes the arguments of all my trolls. It is fascinating, comparing the salaries of Miami which is one of the lowest paid cities in the country to County workers.  then of course she brings her husband into it - who does not have a plumbing license. It is always her family with her, good at producing babies but not saving money.

Also see in the Miami Herald Today: The Gimenez administration drained $50 million in hotel-tax reserves, then used the money to replace property taxes that subsidize Zoo Miami and other parks. Now the surplus is gone and local taxpayers will have to provide the funding.

Yo-Yo Vote on the 5%: One More Time. By Norma Rae

The third time must be the charm...you would hope.

Next Tuesday, the county commission will once again have the chance to end the 5% contribution madness. At this point, from what I am hearing, most everyone is fine with the decision the hospital workers got from Migoya, the head of the hospital. For the Jackson employees, 3% of the payroll deduction goes away on January 1st and the remaining 2% will stop on September 30th. Good enough. At least this healthcare “smoke and mirrors” contribution, a payroll deduction that has been in place since 2009, will be over with this year.

The best thing that could happen on Tuesday is the Stingy Five don’t arrive - on time. The five commissioners that have been siding with the Mayor – Heyman, Zapata, Bovo, Bell and Sosa – should show some courage and independence and just miss the veto override vote. They should arrive after the motion to override the veto has been approved! Here are some ready-made excuses for missing the vote:

Ø Bell: “I was meeting with the Superintendent Kimball of Everglades National Park. I had this bold idea to share with him. I think we should put a chain link fence around the River of Grass. It will keep the water in the Park.”

Ø Heyman: “ I was at a National Association of County conference. I never miss a tax-paid junket. I was at the Healthy Counties Conference in San Diego and my return flight was delayed.”

Ø Zapata: “I live in Kendall. Hay mucho trafico.” (actually I was at the Property Appraiser's office but don't tell anyone.)

Ø Bovo: “ I was busy helping Mayor Hernandez remove signs off of government buildings in Hialeah.”

Ø Sosa: “With all the bad weather, I was busy pumping water out of West Miami. You know, the little city where I live is a drainage basin for Coral Gables.”

We will not be upset if any one of the five arrives late on Tuesday. Even better, one of the five could just tell the Mayor they are sick and tired of him and his little veto pen. Tell Gimenez to just keep that thing in his pocket! It is time to quit messing with the employees. Let us have a final decision on Tuesday. To the eight commissioners who have been voting to end this unjustified paycheck deduction, we wish you success on Tuesday.

The Yo-Yo Vote Continues. Guest Blog by Norma Rae

Vote, Veto, Vote...Veto

Once again, the County Commission has rejected the unfair and unreasonable demand by the Mayor to continue giving up 5% of our pay to support healthcare. It was an 8-5 vote, just like last time. The healthcare accounts of the county are over-flowing with all the cash we have given in the past four years. There is more than $80 Million in SURPLUS. That’s a big enough cushion to pay for healthcare – without anyone paying premiums for the next three months! That’s crazy surplus. That surplus money can only be used to pay healthcare claims. Why does Gimenez want to keep building up that surplus? No one has a good explanation.

The Mayor says he is a fiscal conservative, or some such thing.  Then why has he let the Wall Street people downgrade our bonds and why have they issued statements saying our county finances have a negative outlook?  In all my years working at the County, we have never had anyone downgrade our bonds.  And we do a lot of financing. We have got all that Water and Sewer financing staring at us now.  The Gimenez financial train wreck is going to hurt us for years to come. This is the real problem at the county, not the amount of surplus in the healthcare accounts.

One of those 5 Commissioners who have been supporting the Mayor needs to override the Veto.  They don’t even have to change their original vote.  They can say they voted against the return of the 5% because they have concerns about the future.  We understand the hesitation, with the Mayor throwing up so much dust and confusion.  His own staff call this 5% contribution to healthcare “smoke and mirrors” finances. One-of-the-five can just say:  “We will never get out of this veto-cycle unless the majority-vote decision of the Commission is allowed to stand.”

One of the Five (Sosa, Bell, Heyman, Zapata or Bovo) should end this on Wednesday.  Just say it is time to move on and vote to override.  Nine votes and this nonsense will be done.  I know the employees will be glad to get this yoke off of their shoulders.  It is time to get back to focusing on delivering excellence everyday.

And, just like when the local economy was in collapse, I am sure the employees will be willing to work with the Commission to make sure we continue to deliver services to this county - without causing the County to have a hard time paying its bills.  We got to make sure Gimenez doesn’t destroy this government. We provide critical services to every resident and visitor that comes to Miami-Dade. Override this veto on Wednesday, and let us get back on track and work with the Commission for a better future.   

the Mayor to continue giving up 5% of our pay to support healthcare. It was an 8-5 vote, just like last time.  The healthcare accounts of the county are over-flowing with all the cash we have given in the past four years.  There is more than $80 Million in SURPLUS.  That’s a big enough cushion to pay for healthcare – without anyone paying premiums for the next three months! That’s crazy surplus.  That surplus money can only be used to pay healthcare claims.  Why does Gimenez want to keep building up that surplus?  No one has a good explanation.  

Happy 2014 from Guest Blogger Norma Rae

The New Year has begun, and many of us are still gagging on the offensive holiday wishes sent out by Commandante Gimenez. After his veto of the County Commission decision to quit taking 5% of our wages on January 1, 2014, the Fool Mayor sent out this sicko message:
"I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you – the dedicated men and women who work for our County government. Our community is well served by the dedication and commitment you bring to your jobs every day. 
I would like to extend to all of you and your families my sincere gratitude for your public service and wish you all the very best holidays!"

Really, Gimenez? You like our dedication and commitment to public service, but you dock our pay so you can give tax breaks to all your political contributors and tea party supporters? Go ahead and admit it. You hate the County and the regular folks working at the County. Go back to your beloved City of Miami, where you can show off your shiny Fire Chief badge and hang out in the Fire Station named after you.

In the meantime, the bargaining units are being invited to “negotiate” with Gimenez’s new interim Labor Negotiator, Tyrone Williams. He supposedly has some legal background, but no one expects he will be a smooth negotiator. The first round with Williams is set for Monday, January 6th at 2:30 PM on the 21st Floor, Conference Room C, in the Stephen P. Clark building. AFSCME 199 should invite a bunch of women librarians to this session, as I heard he has issues with women.

All of the Labor Negotiation sessions are public meetings, so anyone can come. Check the County website under the Calendar tab for public notices. They have to be posted at least 24 hours in advance. Eventually, the seven remaining units will all have to have a session. Then, after the negotiations are all over, another Impasse Hearing before the County Commission. It looks like another month of fighting to get our entire paycheck. All we want to do is cash our check. We earned it. We don't want your gratitude, Gimenez, we want you to honor the contracts and end the 5% payroll deductions.

County Commission vote on 5%: Hypocrisy Unites Them. Guest Blog by Norma Rae

Yesterday Carlos Migoya admitted that none of his senior staff at Jackson contribute 5% of their salary, like all the other employees at the hospital.  He said he would implement the 5% policy for his staff on January 1, 2014.  We do not think that is right.  Rather than wrongfully taxing the senior staff, we just want to get rid of this wrongful income tax for everyone.  The unions are not about tearing other people down to reduce their earnings by equivalent amounts - that smacks of communism. We would like everyone to enjoy the fruits of their labor, and take home their entire paycheck.  We just want to be given that simple dignity. We don't want Migoya to start taking money from his senior people. Just quit taking it from everyone at Jackson.

According to a September 30, 2013 official county document, most of the Commissioners who voted to impose the 5% payroll contribution on county workers don't ask their own employees to make the 5% contribution.  And, most of the Commissioners who supported the county workers have been deducting the 5% from their employees.  That's just not right.  We don't think anyone on the commission staff should have to give up 5% of their earnings.  

We want the Commissioners who supported us yesterday to quit deducting the 5% from your staff.  Please stop taking the 5% from your employees, Commissioners Jordan, Monestime, Barreiro, Moss, and Souto. And, we do not want the hypocrites who voted to deduct the 5% from our paychecks to take it from their employees.  We are fine with the fact that you treat your immediate workers fairly and give them the dignity of taking home their entire paycheck.  Don't start penalizing your workers just because you are being exposed for being duplicitous.  Reform your ways. Treat all of us with the same dignity. 

The hypocrites: Commissioner Heyman (the biggest hypocrite), Lynda Bell (who's chief of staff drives a Mercedes), Zapata (who attacks county workers in the press) and Bovo (consultant to Dade Medical Scam College) do not currently deduct the 5% from their employees' paychecks.  And we don't have a problem with that.  The 5% income tax is not right.  We support them for treating their employees fairly.  But, why can't they treat everyone else that works for the county the same? Hypocrisy, hypocrisy, hypocrisy.  These commissioners need to learn that integrity is not a four-letter word. It is OK to be consistent with your policies.   

We Don't Want Charity. Guest Blog By Norma Rae

This Mayor just does not get it.  We are not asking for charity or a pay raise.  When you quit taking 5% of our earnings, it is not a damn pay raise.  The budget shenanigans and spin coming from Gimenez has to stop.  Everyone knew that the contracts called for an end to this mandatory 5% payroll contribution on January 1, 2014. 

Is it so hard to just keep your word?

In his veto message, Gimenez says he found $10 Million hiding somewhere and he wants to be Santa Claus and “assist those employees at the lower end of the pay scale.”  Gimenez is still demanding 5% from everybody, but he wants to put some bonus cash in the stockings “of those that the Board has expressed their desire to help.” When did the Board define a particular class of employees they wanted to help?  The Board voted to end this unwarranted tax on all employees. The Mayor is hoping that when you give employees $1,000 they will forget they are giving up $2,000. Does he think we are stupid?   

Who runs a government with this kind of payroll high jinks? These gimmicks and tricks make it look like fools are running this government. No wonder those Wall Street people are taking a dim view of Miami-Dade County. Handing out bonuses and treats is not in our contracts.  During the failed negotiations, no one ever mentioned bonuses.  We want to be respected for the work we do, and we want to have the dignity of earning a living without paying an income tax, just like everyone else in Florida.

Now that Gimenez has lost, he says he is “ready to work with the Board and the Unions to find a way for all of us to move our community forward.”  Amen, brother, losing is sometimes good for the soul.  Losing helps the arrogant to see the light.  

 Gimenez should quit treating employees like dogs and own up to his responsibilities.  Every other local government has come out of the recession and is on the road to recovery.  Maybe Gimenez should hire a professional manager to run Miami-Dade County. This Strong Mayor thing is just not working for him.  

Will We Get a Veto from Gimenez on the County Commission Vote on the Union 5%? Guest Blog by Norma Rae

Everybody is waiting for Mayor Gimenez to publish his veto message. We know it is coming. The only question is how dark and dreary the message will be. For some reason, if the county allows employees to actually deposit their entire check, money that they earned, the entire County budget will supposedly collapse. Gimenez would like everyone to believe that paying people their full wages is the first sign of the end times.

Compare that to the situation at Jackson. The Jackson CEO did not ask Gimenez to veto the 5% decision. He issued a simple statement explaining that the decision by the Commission does create a financial challenge. But there is no suggestion there will be a financial meltdown at Jackson. Why? The hospital administration and the unions at Jackson have gotten pretty good at meeting financial challenges. CEO Migoya knows that his team will be able to make adjustments, because he has been working with the unions, not against them.

Gimenez would not have a crisis either, if he would only work with the employees. During the hearing last week, the workers from Water and Sewer and the Transit Agency said they knew how to save plenty of money. They see the money being wasted on consultants and contractors first-hand. If the Strong Mayor would order his executive team to do a better job of managing those contractors, Gimenez could save millions of dollars, and he could maintain a balanced budget – without blaming everything on the workers.

The word on the street is that the wife of one of the police officers shot this week told the Mayor – in front of several witnesses - that she did not want him to visit his bedside. She said if Gimenez really respected the work and sacrifice the officers make every day protecting this community, he would quit deducting money from their paychecks. And she sent him away.

We should all take note of this woman’s courageous words and actions. If the Commission does not override Gimenez’s veto on Tuesday, December 17th, we should send them all away. Every politician responsible for garnishing our wages should be defeated at their next election and sent home. Enough is enough.


THE MAYOR'S PRESS CONFERENCE ON THE VETO WAS SCHEDULED AT NOON - IT HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

The Veto is expected at Noon: This is the discussion on December 5th. By Geniusofdespair

COMMISSIONER LYNDA BELL VOTED NOT TO RESTORE THE 5% TO THE UNION EMPLOYEES (they gave it voluntarily with the promise that it will come back):



Lynda: those are not big salaries you are reciting. Instead you should be embarrassed by the SMALL average salary of Miami Dade residents that you mention -- that is what you should be working on. Increasing their salaries. BTW, most of those people rent and don't pay property taxes so raising the taxes won't effect them it will more likely effect the county workers with the $60,000 salaries. Use some logic.

COMMISSIONER DENNIS MOSS VOTED YES TO RESTORE THE 5% TO THE UNION EMPLOYEES:



On the Moss video there is some interesting footage of Gimenez (starting at 7:37) and a Union Boss (starting 11:07 - please supply his name) replying. Very telling. (I thought it worth watching at 14 minutes as well)

This was a 12 hour meeting. I reduced it to 20 minutes. If you can't even watch that, I don't know what to do to help you readers. I had a hell of a time reducing it and watching it all.

WATCH THE DAMN VIDEOS -

THE VETO PRESS CONFERENCE SCHEDULED FOR NOON HAS BEEN POSTPONED. Maybe Gimenez doesn't have the votes to prevent an over-ride. At the same time this is going on we are TALKING ABOUT GIVING PUBLIC LAND TO A SOCCER STAR FOR A STADIUM. Where are the priorities? Don't we every get money?

Pepe Diaz is back to vote, out of the hospital looking frail...lets hope with a better attitude: Redemption for past misdeeds! I am still waiting on the miracle of an epiphany. He needs one...it will come I just know it, his health is too fragile. It came to Jack Abramoff (his motivation wasn't health, it was prison).

Xavier Suarez Takes a Look at Mayor Gimenez's Argument on the 5%. by Geniusofdespair

A grueling and contentious 12-hour hearing for seven county unions ended Thursday with an 8-3 vote in favor of returning the 5% to county employees.

County Commissioner Xavier Suarez Sounds Off with alternative cuts: 

Mayor Gimenez's previous op-ed piece on the looming union impasse sets the stage very nicely for a top-to-bottom analysis of the county's budget.

The mayor has correctly stated the quantitative variables of the budget equation we seek to solve; they are:

A. A constraint imposed by our own bosses (the taxpayers, playing the role of stockholders), who are not willing to pay more in taxes over what is already a very high millage rate which, in combination with other property taxes, takes more than 2% of the value of their homes every year. (Note that this tax burden increases automatically when their properties become more valuable because of inflation, improvements or the simple demographic effect of an increasing population.)

B. A level of basic services that cannot possibly be reduced, as it is already marginal in the areas of policing, mass transportation, animal services, libraries and fire-rescue.

C. Increasing costs of health care coverage for our 26,000 employees, which prompted the administration to reduce all salaries by 9% one year, later reduced to 5%. Returning the 5% health care cuts to the employees would require finding $27 million in budget reductions for the remaining three-quarters of the fiscal year, equivalent to $37 million on an annualized basis.

The mayor rightly takes pride in reducing the number of county departments to 25. But that is hardly serious streamlining, when you consider that the county has a host of agencies (Metropolitan Planning Organization, Ethics Commission, Internal Auditor, Office of Inspector General, Community Action Agency, Citizens Independent Transportation Trust, and the Public Health Trust are seven that come to mind) that are funded, in whole or in part, by the same budget that funds the basic county services.
The mayor also fails to mention that he created a total of five new deputy mayor positions. Which means that a meeting of the mayor and his directors and deputies requires a table with 30 chairs - and that does not include the seven agencies mentioned above, nor the county attorney, county clerk or property appraiser.

All of those directors, deputy mayors, heads of agencies, presidents, clerks and top attorneys make more than $100,000. And so do their assistant directors, assistant attorneys, fire chiefs and deputies. In fact, there are no less than 2,500 county employees that made over $100,000 in combined salary and overtime last year.

The most-used metric for determining whether an enterprise has an oversupply of supervisors is called the "span-of-control." It is the ratio that rank-and-file employees bear to supervisors. In the private sector, the span-of-control varies from about 7-1 to 10-1. In Miami-Dade County, the span of control stands at 4.9 to 1. In one department (fire) the number of supervisory personnel is less than 2 to 1. That same department has 70 employees with the title of "chief."

But salaries and managers are only part of the story. Here are some other metrics that illustrate the gargantuan, bloated-beyond-belief, astoundingly-out-of-control bureaucracy that is the county.

I. Salary Classifications. The county has 1040 different salary classifications for 26,000 employees. (Compare that to less than 30 "GS" categories for over three million federal employees and 18 salary classifications for 13,000 University of Miami employees.)

II. Properties Owned and Leased. The county has about 4,500 properties owned or leased. Just in major administrative buildings the county has 18 multi-story facilities, including one with 29 floors. Note that most of the basic county services, including police, fire-rescue, parks, public works, water and sewer, and mass transportation are done in the field and not indoors.

III. Automobiles and Light Vehicles. The county has more than 7,000 autos and light vehicles in its fleet - or almost one for every three employees. About half of those are take-home cars, which generate claims, lawsuits and other risk-management headaches for the county. (First responders such as patrol officers and emergency fire-rescue personnel comprise less than half of the take-home vehicles.)

IV. Expenditure Codes. This is probably the single most incredible figure. The county has no less than 33,000 expenditure codes. That is 7,000 more than the total number of employees, meaning that you could name 26,000 expenditures after each of the employees and still have 7,000 codes to name for expenses other than salaries.

The result of the above-described, massive bureaucracy is that it takes a lot of bookkeepers, administrators, computer experts, human resource and benefit managers, finance and budget specialists, labor lawyers, secretaries and clerical staff to forecast, confirm, calculate and otherwise keep track of the county's six billion dollar combined operating and capital budget. My task force report, presented to the commission chairman almost two years ago, details a total of $400 million in savings from serious streamlining of the outsized county bureaucracy; it included reducing the managerial ranks by 1,400 employees, reducing departments to 10, and capping salaries at $125,000.

That sort of streamlining (serious streamlining) is what the county needs, so that we can increase the number of employees who render the essential services: the libraries, police, fire-rescue, parks, public works, solid waste, public transportation, water and sewer, environmental and permitting functions, and pay them a decent wage.

When the county commission overruled the mayor and restored the 5% to the solid waste employees, the total cost of that ruling was $1.1 million for the entire department of 800 employees - or less than what the five deputy mayors make. The $27 million needed to do the same for the rest of the workforce (or $37 million annualized) is less than 1% of the county's operating budget.

That's not much to ask by way of streamlining. In fact, it would be only a small start to what needs to be done, if we are ever to control what has become one of the most top-heavy bureaucracies in the history of local governments.

Xavier L. Suarez
Commissioner
District 7

The Unions Got What They Wanted...Almost at Yesterday's Commission Meeting. By Geniusofdespair

They didn't get a veto proof vote. Lynda Bell, Steve Bovo and Sally Heyman voted against giving them back their 5% so they only got 8. Veto proof is 9. Zapata and Pepe Diaz were absent. This might prove a troublesome vote for Lynda's reelection campaign.