Pa. mayor cuts police pay to minimum wage

[LabRat]

I, too, found this to be a very interesting article.

Cities may find that the cost-benefit-ratio of the ever increasing (and expensive) police forces in this county is out of kilter with the stagnant benefits realized.

One thing that poverty (personal or governmental) will force one to do is evaluate the true (not perceived) benefit of all types of goods and services.

If there is no increasing benefit to an increasing cost; things can change in a hurry. If you usually like to eat ribeye steaks, but run out of money, then hamburger doesn't seem so bad. There's no lasting tangible benefit to eating high dollar steak when a low cost burger will suffice.

This will happen over and over again across the country. I found the police lawsuit over this minimum wage payment somewhat telling.

It was not really based on the continuing need for public safety, it was a contractual argument noting what was owed them.

The money required for defending this lawsuit further saps the city's coffers....leaving less money for them (or others) to receive; creating a endless spiral into financial oblivion.

LabRat

[Oldgringo]

Yep, it seems that what goes around really does come around, eh? Everything, everything is all about 'who's ox is being gored'.

[Panzer Possum]

Yep, it seems that what goes around really does come around, eh? Everything, everything is all about 'who's ox is being gored'.

They do say that sacred cow makes the best hamburgers.

[talltex]

Yep, it seems that what goes around really does come around, eh? Everything, everything is all about 'who's ox is being gored'.

EXACTLY...and as long as it's someone elses ox, and as long as we are getting some steaks out of it, we will probably support it...

[Ameer]

Don't they have a union with a contract?

Why do teachers, firemen and LEO's, garbage persons, etc. need a union anymore? Roofers, carpenters, ironworkers, plumbers, laborers and electricians, etc. don't have unions. Why do public employees need a union? Just askin...

So that they aren't terminated for lack of productivity like in the non civil service jobs where if you don't produce you find a new job elsewhere. City Employees become for lack of a better term institutionalized and the productivity goes down, since most jobs at state and local gubbermental agencies aren't civil service classified jobs they need a union to keep them employed when they come in to work and go on the morning arrival break, then answer 1 or 2 phone calls then go on pre break preperation break, answer one question then go on regular break then come back and answer one phone call and do 15 mins of computer input then go on pre lunch break come back close the program that they use to input information the go to lunch for 1 1/2 hours then come back for the 30 min power nap, and the cycle continues till the end of the day. as a city employee(state too) there is no impetous to produce anything nor complete anything the union just keeps them there even if someone decides to attempt to make them work

You're right. Those employees need a union job.

There are some government employees who are competent but they don't need a union. Many of them are hurt by working in a job where unions have a stranglehold. In a job where competence matters, they would get paid more and be promoted faster. Instead they suffer when less competent people get raises and promotions because of seniority or nepotism.

[wharvey]

Some of responses are interesting. Someone who is paid mininum wage will do minimum wage work quality at best. Being a former teacher I can tell you about that job. There is little productivity.

The typical teacher, not all but those who care can look forward to 4 to 6 hours extra each night to grade papers and do preparations for the next day. When they get to school they can look forward to students who curse them, throw things at them and sometimes get violent with them and other student. The bus monitor who was in the news recently is not alone in being on the receiving end of that type of behavior. If the teacher takes any physical action, even what is needed to defend themselves from physical assault they get sued.

The only solution available to them thanks to present day administrators is to call the kids parents which more often than not gets them yelled at by the parent for picking on their kid. A complaint then follows and it is much easier for the administrator to side with the parent. Long gone are the days when a teacher can remove an unruly kid from class. Of course the coaches get paid big bucks and as long as the school is doing good in sports every one is happy.

Figure the abuse that police often put up with and that is the life of a lot of classroom teachers. I've worked in many fields other than teaching, having a chemistry, physics and math major as well as being a certified network administrator. After a total of 18 years in the classroom I said enough is enough and got out. Why any thinking person would think a person would spend years in college as well as continue going back, at their expense for a low paying job is missing on some cylinders.

BTW, very few people stay in the profession for even 5 years due to the work conditions.
If the police have to put up with these same type of condtions I wouldn't blame that entire police force if they just walked out.

Hoped there are not too many typos. Did this on my phone. Some responses got to me so much I didn't want to wait to get on my computer.