by Ron DeLord | Jan 10, 2017 | Australian unions, Canadian unions, Collective Bargaining, Fire, Health Insurance, Labor, Pensions, Police, Politics, Public Employees (Non-Sworn), Unions, United Kingdom
For the past 40 years, the majority of law enforcement personnel could depend on regular salary increases, better health care and pension benefits while reaping the advantages of belonging to a police union that was learning how to gain and use political power....
by Ron DeLord | Jan 10, 2017 | Collective Bargaining, Fire, Labor, Pensions, Police, Politics, Public Employees (Non-Sworn), Unions
Pensions: California, which is known for its earthquakes, just had a major one. Didn’t feel it? You will. This quake isn’t the earthshaking kind, but rather the state’s decision to recognize reality when it comes to its insolvent public-employee...
by Ron DeLord | Jan 10, 2017 | Collective Bargaining, Fire, Labor, Pensions, Police, Politics, Public Employees (Non-Sworn), Unions
Flint is facing another crisis — but this one doesn’t involve its drinking water. The city’s pension system is severely underfunded and getting worse, and that leaves the future viability of the city uncertain, no matter what happens with its water lines. Flint’s...
by Ron DeLord | Jan 10, 2017 | Collective Bargaining, Fire, Labor, Pensions, Police, Politics, Unions
ATLANTIC CITY — State officials overseeing the city’s government have called on the police and fire departments to make major concessions in salary and potentially cut ranks, including up to 100 jobs in the city’s Fire Department. The demands came last month, but the...
by Ron DeLord | Jan 10, 2017 | Collective Bargaining, Fire, Labor, Pensions, Police, Politics, Public Employees (Non-Sworn), Unions
Cities and states across the country are facing public employee pension debt that is challenging and, in some cases, crippling their budgets. But some municipalities are experimenting with ways to solve that problem. In San Jose, California, voters passed a set of...
by Ron DeLord | Jan 10, 2017 | Fire, Labor, Pensions, Police, Politics, Unions
STARKVILLE — As we saw earlier this month, it’s rather difficult in December to escape the life lessons from Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” — nor should we. The Dickens novella confronts greed, foregone generosity, poverty, plenty, class warfare, regret, guilt...