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SLO voters to decide on binding arbitration

May 18, 2011

San Luis Obispo City Council voted Tuesday in favor of a mail in election on binding arbitration and a charter that requires voter approval to make changes in retirement benefits.

Facing a $4.4 million shortfall in the 2011-2012 fiscal year, the Council voted 4-1 with Councilman John Ashbaugh casting the lone dissenting vote, for the August special election.

Binding arbitration, voted in by the public in 2000, entitles safety worker’s unions to bring in a third party negotiator if labor talks are at an impasse. The city and the unions are then required to abide by the negotiator’s decision.

The mandate resulted in police officers receiving a 30 percent raise in 2008.


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Ideally, we should remove all public employee unions, as the whole reason for organized labor is to counter potentially burdensome employers or management. Since both, in the case of public unions, of the people at the “bargaining” table are each paid by the taxpayer, and neither have any incentive to save the taxpayers as much as possible (which is what a business’ side would be doing, it is negotiating, after all).


What employer would willfully pay two separate parties to divide up said employer’s resources? That is simply insane and can only end in financial failure for everyone involved. As we’re beginning to see.


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Found this today in the LA Times. Fortelling of many cities in California:


http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0519-la-budget-20110519,0,434432.story


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What many who are not emotionally-invested in this topic have been saying all along: you take too much, and there will be none left to take. Regardless of whether one is *worth* it or not, it’s simple physics/mathematics/economics: you cannot have what is not there.


Taxing the rich? Take 100% of their wealth and still not have enough to cover our unfunded liabilities. Then what? Some people are just very late to the table, here. Cannot blame them, often they have the best of intentions, but are just too close to the issue to see reason.


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Binding arbitration and the San Luis Obispo Police Department:


http://www.youtube.com/user/SLOshank


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SlOshank, that is terrific. And the one about Lichtig is marvelous too. I heard Carter defending her on the air the other day but it was lame, because she did her job in one instance he lavished praise on her. Your video points out the whole picture.

So thanks for the humorous but biting commentary on our overpaid ‘leaders’.


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As it should be, voters voted it in, voters should have the right to vote it out if that is their wish, Fear should not be a concern on either side, this is the United States of America, land of the freedom and choice.


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I like most of the LE I met and seen, I like all the fire fighters.

But I see it as prudent for the time being to remove binding arbitration

so concessions can be made without layoffs until time gets better.

Those (foolish) who don’t like, go and find a better job.


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