Hollywood wants to negotiate benefits package with unions

As officials grapple with closing a $14 million gap in next year's budget, and negotiate contracts with all of the city's unions, one commissioner says now is the time to take a look at employee benefits.

[E JAMES]

what in the world!

[Common Sense]

Here's a thought: a job is a privilege, not a right or an entitlement. If someone isn't happy with their renumeration/compensation package, they are free to seek employment elsewhere. IE, this is the job, this is what it pays, these are the benefits, take it or leave it.

[Steve]

Common Sense wrote:

Here's a thought: a job is a privilege, not a right or an entitlement. If someone isn't happy with their renumeration/compensation package, they are free to seek employment elsewhere. IE, this is the job, this is what it pays, these are the benefits, take it or leave it.

That is the problem, nobody wants these jobs. They have so many vacancies they have to offer these benefits to attract people.

[John]

Hey Beam. What's your compensation from the city as a part-time commisioner? You've been a commissioner for more than 6 years now. Tell me, doesn't that entitle you to a pension from the city and free health care for your whole family for life? The cops, firemen general employees don't receive free family healthcare. Plus your pension with the schoolboard once you retire. Not a bad financial deal for you.

The cops deserve what they have and more from dealing day in and day out with ungrateful idiots like you! So go back and play with your books. Nice having the summer off. Not to mention all the weekends and holidays and have everynight to be with your family for dinner, isn't it?

There's a couple of old sayings. "You can pay me now or pay me later" along with "You get what you paid for". You really want to tear the police and fire departments down, don't you. Given how the city is already going downhill, just think how safer we'll all be when the police department becomes like Miami and takes what they can get. Just think of all the legal cost from lawsuits that are sure to rise as the quality of officers declines.

[Bud Lite]

Good luck to Beam Furr.Hollywood PD and the Fire dept. do a great job Much of the planning and building dept. should be tarred and feathered.

[Running Buck]

I wish the Sentinel would have included the list of the top 300.

[SO TRUE COMMON SENSE]

Common Sense wrote:

Here's a thought: a job is a privilege, not a right or an entitlement. If someone isn't happy with their renumeration/compensation package, they are free to seek employment elsewhere. IE, this is the job, this is what it pays, these are the benefits, take it or leave it.

and let's add the statements that every police department in the country is ALWAYS ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS. So if you are sick, bored, tired, pissed off and unhappy with your current job, then PLEASE come and apply to be a cop.
Yeah we work all kinds of hours, extra at times too. Any disaster, hurricane,holiday, special event, please plan on working!!! You can't have off on all those days!!!

Remember too that when the COURTS WORK (monday - friday) you will have to come in to court even if it's your day off. You may have to sit in the hallway for the entire day or more to have 5 minutes of testimony on the stand......

also remember that after you arrest someone, if they are sick, you have precautions to take too. Like testing at the hospital so you don't contract the cooties your prisoner has...
Oh now what, all those whiners are running away?? WHY?? Oh that's right, because we told them just a FEW THINGS WE DO AT RISK DAILY, now they suddenly LOVE THEIR JOB and don't want to DO OURS!!!!!!!

Cops and FF's EARN WHAT THEY MAKE, while on the job and when they retire..... so come on, where's your app???

[FuBar]

Your job discription is very much like a sanitation worker. Working holidays, special events, hurricanes and disasters. You both pick up garbage and get "cooties". However, sanitation workers have to sweat, work in all kinds of weather ( not sit the a air-conditioned car ), be and be exposed to unhealthy chemicals and drug......daily........ And guest what; they doing whine and cry like cops. They just serve the public do their jobs and go home for the day.

SO TRUE COMMON SENSE wrote:

<quoted text>
and let's add the statements that every police department in the country is ALWAYS ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS. So if you are sick, bored, tired, pissed off and unhappy with your current job, then PLEASE come and apply to be a cop.
Yeah we work all kinds of hours, extra at times too. Any disaster, hurricane,holiday, special event, please plan on working!!! You can't have off on all those days!!!
Remember too that when the COURTS WORK (monday - friday) you will have to come in to court even if it's your day off. You may have to sit in the hallway for the entire day or more to have 5 minutes of testimony on the stand......
also remember that after you arrest someone, if they are sick, you have precautions to take too. Like testing at the hospital so you don't contract the cooties your prisoner has...
Oh now what, all those whiners are running away?? WHY?? Oh that's right, because we told them just a FEW THINGS WE DO AT RISK DAILY, now they suddenly LOVE THEIR JOB and don't want to DO OURS!!!!!!!
Cops and FF's EARN WHAT THEY MAKE, while on the job and when they retire..... so come on, where's your app???

[FuBar]

PS when you need your garbage picked up.......call a cop.

[Phil]

Wrong. The appropriate compensation for these jobs is approx. 1/2 what it currently is. Your arguments are emotional and simple attempts at guilt-inspiring, without a single mention of actual numbers...because even you know they are absurd. People would do these jobs for 1/2 the money, but your en-bloc voting for politicians willing to bribe you for your votes allows you to extort this money out of the public you claim to care about.

John wrote:

Hey Beam. What's your compensation from the city as a part-time commisioner? You've been a commissioner for more than 6 years now. Tell me, doesn't that entitle you to a pension from the city and free health care for your whole family for life? The cops, firemen general employees don't receive free family healthcare. Plus your pension with the schoolboard once you retire. Not a bad financial deal for you.
The cops deserve what they have and more from dealing day in and day out with ungrateful idiots like you! So go back and play with your books. Nice having the summer off. Not to mention all the weekends and holidays and have everynight to be with your family for dinner, isn't it?
There's a couple of old sayings. "You can pay me now or pay me later" along with "You get what you paid for". You really want to tear the police and fire departments down, don't you. Given how the city is already going downhill, just think how safer we'll all be when the police department becomes like Miami and takes what they can get. Just think of all the legal cost from lawsuits that are sure to rise as the quality of officers declines.

[Well]

John wrote:

Hey Beam. What's your compensation from the city as a part-time commisioner? You've been a commissioner for more than 6 years now. Tell me, doesn't that entitle you to a pension from the city and free health care for your whole family for life? The cops, firemen general employees don't receive free family healthcare. Plus your pension with the schoolboard once you retire. Not a bad financial deal for you.
The cops deserve what they have and more from dealing day in and day out with ungrateful idiots like you! So go back and play with your books. Nice having the summer off. Not to mention all the weekends and holidays and have everynight to be with your family for dinner, isn't it?
There's a couple of old sayings. "You can pay me now or pay me later" along with "You get what you paid for". You really want to tear the police and fire departments down, don't you. Given how the city is already going downhill, just think how safer we'll all be when the police department becomes like Miami and takes what they can get. Just think of all the legal cost from lawsuits that are sure to rise as the quality of officers declines.

Blah blah blah blah.

[duh]

"A list of the highest-paid employees, supplied at the request of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, shows at least 300 received $120,000 or more in compensation packages during the last fiscal year. The sums included contributions to pensions, overtime pay, unused sick and vacation pay and allowances for cars, phones and even shoes."

So, where's the "public record" list Sun-Sentinel?

[Kickem while their down]

It is quite popular to beat up on the Cop's and Firefighter's. Luckly for you they will keep doing their job and serving. In this crazy time we live in everybody lives in a glass house. To put the salaries of the Mayor and Commissioners and give the indication that is all the income they bring in is nut's. Apples and Oranges. I doubt they would be willing to disclose every part of their salaries for public review.

[Valigator]

Have any of you been reading the paper for the last two years???Hollywood has become as corrupt as Dade....boot them all out..

[john]

although it is a fact that the high cost associated with pensions will eventually bankrupt these cities. look at the city california that just declared bankruptcy. There needs to be a fix to the problem. The only type of job with defined benefit pensions are city or govmet' jobs. Look at United Airlines, first bankruptcy all lost pension. A 60 year old who retired after bankruptcy got 1400 monthly instead of the 12k monthly. IT will eventurally happen to the cities. Be warned firefighters, police, etc. Your pension is never safe. The city can chang at any time.

[George Jetson]

There is a city in CA that went bankrupt because 80 percent of their budget went to the city workers. The city needs to put a dollar number on a job that does not suffer from layoffs, what is that worth? 20k per year?...how many people apply to become a firefighter? 1000 for each job?...San Diego pays their FF 35k per year because they have so many applicants...they are using simple economics...the unions may have the upper hand now, but the future looks dimmer....who is to say that the next generation of city managers does not cut back on pensions, etc..outsource the FF, etc...

[trash manSadhana Sadhu]

These over paid firefighters with their percs are bankrupting municipalities and they could care less about other public servants who face lay-offs. In certain counties/cities all of these other public servants such as librarians,parks workers,utilities workers etc. will probably out of a job next year. THANKS ALOT AMERICAN HEROES!!

[Hollywood Resident]

Maybe its time to contract the police department services to the BSO like other cities in Broward County. Pay a flat fee annually, and do away with the entire department, salaries, pensions and all. the City cannot keep taxing us to death to support these inflated salaries and benefits.Residents are moving out every day to places like NC, SC and Georgia where real estate taxes are one fifth what they are in South Florida.

[OUCH]

I thought you became a cop to be able to drink and drive, drive like a maniac, take out your anger on the general public, and intimidate people (especially the guy who stole your girlfriend in high school).

Tell the truth, you guys would do this for half the money, its an ego thing. How else would you have all that power?

Plus look at all the money you get on the side, you know drugs, protection, embezzling, etc..

[bobby- g]

The die has been cast. With Fort Lauderdale eliminating the pension for new hires after November of 2007, it is now a model that other communities will follow. The downside will be a reduction in city services and especially in the quality of new job applicants. Eventually, only the dregs will apply for a city job. This will follow the same low standards that fast food restaurants have adopted from their inception. Low pay and very few incentives may attract highschool drop-outs but career employees won't bother to garner a job with no future. Cutting benefits from the bottom tier is always the same broken record, played by managers and politicians. They are so much dust dancing with dust. The best way to cut expenses is to cut in-half all the management jobs because these are by far the least productive and are rewarded beyond reason with the D.R.O.P and other lavish perks. A fifty per cent cut in management positions will uphold a level of good, general services to the public while saving the "sinking ship". Any actual study of out-source options will support that eventually the cost to the tax payers is more than it would have been with traditional city workers. The reason is very simple. Once a city dismantles their internal services for out-source contractors the clock starts ticking on higher costs and the city is then trapped by their own paradigm. All this angst can be avoided with a little common sense. However, don't hold your breath.