Democratic San Jose, San Diego cut union benefits

Scott Walker's not alone...

Pension reform advocates emboldened by wins in San Jose, San Diego - The advocates expect similar initiatives cutting pension costs to take off across California. Some analysts say Gov. Jerry Brown's plan to rein in state pension obligations may seem like a better deal than tough voter-approved measures.

Landslide victories on ballot measures to cut pension costs in two major California cities emboldened reform advocates, who said they expect a flurry of copycat initiatives and increased support for Gov. Jerry Brown's long-stalled push to curb the state's obligations to its employees.

In San Jose, nearly 70% of voters Tuesday approved a plan that gives workers the choice between increasing their pension contribution to 13% of their pay, currently 5% to 11%, or switching to a lower-cost plan with reduced benefits. It also steeply cuts benefits for new hires and tightens rules for disability retirements.

In San Diego, where pension cuts already have been implemented, voters opted to eliminate pensions for new workers. By a 66% to 34% margin, voters Tuesday endorsed Proposition B, which provides newly hired city employees with a 401(k) program, but preserves traditional pensions for new police officers.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me ... 5595.story

The chickens have come home to roost...

While the nation focused on Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s victory, the passage of two pension reform measures in the cities of San Jose and San Diego is likely to embolden other fiscal conservatives and taxpayer advocates across the country, triggering a revolution of reform.

In San Diego, the example of a retired city librarian making $227,000 annually from her pension after being paid a top salary of $154,000 while working hit home with voters in this military community, who learned that her pension topped that of a four-star general.

San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed (D) says he expects other cities to follow San Jose’s lead. "It's novel but it's certainly not radical," he said. "Mayors across the country are very interested. We're at the leading edge but we're not alone."

Asking public employees to contribute toward their own retirement, pay part of their health care costs, and stop the pension spiking games seems more than fair to people working in the private sector, many of whom would line up by the hundreds for the chance to take a public sector job. So if public employees don’t like what’s happening, voters in San Diego, San Jose, and soon in many other cities across America have a response for you: Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

http://communities.washingtontimes.com/ ... es-san-di/

They recognize that the system is simply not sustainable. The Obama stimulus was a gift to public unions... now the party is over and citizens across the nation will be putting a stop to the vultures who have been wasting taxpayers for years.

Only $227K pension for a librarian? How is anyone going to live on that? This is an outrage!

GO UNION!

Joe wrote: Only $227K pension for a librarian? How is anyone going to live on that? This is an outrage!

GO UNION!

For me it is not so much an outrage about the actual amount, it is an outrage to be able to game the system to retire on more than your pay while working.

Maybe I am just jealous.

Democracy Works wrote: Scott Walker's not alone...

Pension reform advocates emboldened by wins in San Jose, San Diego - The advocates expect similar initiatives cutting pension costs to take off across California. Some analysts say Gov. Jerry Brown's plan to rein in state pension obligations may seem like a better deal than tough voter-approved measures.

Landslide victories on ballot measures to cut pension costs in two major California cities emboldened reform advocates, who said they expect a flurry of copycat initiatives and increased support for Gov. Jerry Brown's long-stalled push to curb the state's obligations to its employees.

In San Jose, nearly 70% of voters Tuesday approved a plan that gives workers the choice between increasing their pension contribution to 13% of their pay, currently 5% to 11%, or switching to a lower-cost plan with reduced benefits. It also steeply cuts benefits for new hires and tightens rules for disability retirements.

In San Diego, where pension cuts already have been implemented, voters opted to eliminate pensions for new workers. By a 66% to 34% margin, voters Tuesday endorsed Proposition B, which provides newly hired city employees with a 401(k) program, but preserves traditional pensions for new police officers.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me ... 5595.story

The chickens have come home to roost...

While the nation focused on Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s victory, the passage of two pension reform measures in the cities of San Jose and San Diego is likely to embolden other fiscal conservatives and taxpayer advocates across the country, triggering a revolution of reform.

In San Diego, the example of a retired city librarian making $227,000 annually from her pension after being paid a top salary of $154,000 while working hit home with voters in this military community, who learned that her pension topped that of a four-star general.

San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed (D) says he expects other cities to follow San Jose’s lead. "It's novel but it's certainly not radical," he said. "Mayors across the country are very interested. We're at the leading edge but we're not alone."

Asking public employees to contribute toward their own retirement, pay part of their health care costs, and stop the pension spiking games seems more than fair to people working in the private sector, many of whom would line up by the hundreds for the chance to take a public sector job. So if public employees don’t like what’s happening, voters in San Diego, San Jose, and soon in many other cities across America have a response for you: Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

http://communities.washingtontimes.com/ ... es-san-di/

They recognize that the system is simply not sustainable. The Obama stimulus was a gift to public unions... now the party is over and citizens across the nation will be putting a stop to the vultures who have been wasting taxpayers for years.

NOW THAT'S WHAT I'M TALK"IN ABOUT!!!

I also applaud the cities getting abuses under control and putting these issues before the voters. Most citizens understand that we do have to cut back, make changes, and rein in the crazy spending. These towns did it right...explain the issues and let the citizens be part of the process
Unlike Walker who just did it....no explanation needed. Even Walker admits he approached it all wrong.

Tell me...did these cities have to strip the unions of their collective bargaining rights in order to get this done?

Why yes archer - having the voters dictate the terms of pension plans would, by necessity, strip the unions of their ability to collectively bargain for the terms and conditions of the pension plans offered to the members of the public employees union. The ability to collectively bargain on how much, if anything, union members will contribute towards their own pensions has been removed. What they now have instead is a choice between contributing 13% or having a plan with significantly reduced benefits. Both the benefits afforded, as well as the contribution amount, can no longer be part of collective bargaining by the representatives of those public employee unions - that has been stripped from them, just as it was in Wisconsin.

archer wrote: I also applaud the cities getting abuses under control and putting these issues before the voters. Most citizens understand that we do have to cut back, make changes, and rein in the crazy spending. These towns did it right...explain the issues and let the citizens be part of the process
Unlike Walker who just did it....no explanation needed. Even Walker admits he approached it all wrong.

Tell me...did these cities have to strip the unions of their collective bargaining rights in order to get this done?

I don't know how collective bargaining ever became a right for public unions anyway. Collective bargaining in the private sector is driven by market forces and a finite amount of profit that has to be divvied up. Since there is no profit consideration in public bargaining, how do they figure out what is a fair way to determine wages and benefits? (which have gone up about 36% since 2000)

I have a hard time viewing public workers as having fewer rights than private workers. They are not the military...

archer wrote: I have a hard time viewing public workers as having fewer rights than private workers. They are not the military...

Have a link for that? rofllol

Ryt_Rick wrote:

archer wrote: I also applaud the cities getting abuses under control and putting these issues before the voters. Most citizens understand that we do have to cut back, make changes, and rein in the crazy spending. These towns did it right...explain the issues and let the citizens be part of the process
Unlike Walker who just did it....no explanation needed. Even Walker admits he approached it all wrong.

Tell me...did these cities have to strip the unions of their collective bargaining rights in order to get this done?

I don't know how collective bargaining ever became a right for public unions anyway. Collective bargaining in the private sector is driven by market forces and a finite amount of profit that has to be divvied up. Since there is no profit consideration in public bargaining, how do they figure out what is a fair way to determine wages and benefits? (which have gone up about 36% since 2000)

Rick, just saw your tag line. Glad to hear it.