Layoff Day for City of Detroit Employees

[skyl4rk]

Bing said that he would lay off about 1000 people on December 5.Snyder and Dillon gave him some political backing by starting the EFM process on Dec 2. It must be incredibly difficult to take this kind of action. I doubt that Bing is sleeping much tonight. Maybe he has already resigned himself to the fact that there is no other choice.If Layoff Day goes down, a lot of people who care about Detroit and work hard to provide services in Detroit are going to be without a job. A thousand families could be losing their income. I just want to express solidarity to city employees and wish the best to anyone who is affected. It is certainly not the fault of the employees that this is happening.I'm not sure what else to say. I probably won't be sleeping well either.

[SteveJ]

I think thats the day they get 30 day notices. They won't be laid off until January.

[Zacha341]

Hmm, that will be interesting scenario. For example with DPS, at the beginning of the school year it is my understanding that often the teachers laid off worked along side [[or were at least on premises) and with their replacement instructor during the '30 day' window. Would city workers do that? Or would they strike?

[Danny]

That's what you all get if you all city workers don't take any sacrifices. Now you all must pay the price, even in the holiday season. I hope you all did your Christmas Shopping early because applying for unemployment checks is out of the question since the Republicans are playing Scrooge and Grinches at Capitol Hill.


WORD FROM THE STREET PROPHET

Most Detroit workers may have get welfare cheese and charity, too.

For the 99 Percent and the Spirit of Guy Fawkes.

Neda, I miss you so.

[Buy American]

That's what you all get if you all city workers don't take any sacrifices. Now you all must pay the price, even in the holiday season. I hope you all did your Christmas Shopping early because applying for unemployment checks is out of the question since the Republicans are playing Scrooge and Grinches at Capitol Hill.


WORD FROM THE STREET PROPHET

Most Detroit workers may have get welfare cheese and charity, too.

For the 99 Percent and the Spirit of Guy Fawkes.

Neda, I miss you so.

The City of Detroit has continuously asked for concessions from employees and have received them. Just how much is a person supposed to give up in your opinion?
Would you work for a whole lot less while your bosses are tooling around in the CofD in pimped out rides? I don't think so. Would you work for peanuts while the administration and appointees are making 4 and 5 times more money than you and don't do a thing except complain about the budget, travel, have cars, drivers, expense accounts, eat and do their nails? I don't think so.

[Danny]

The City of Detroit has continuously asked for concessions from employees and have received them. Just how much is a person supposed to give up in your opinion?
Would you work for a whole lot less while your bosses are tooling around in the CofD in pimped out rides? I don't think so. Would you work for peanuts while the administration and appointees are making 4 and 5 times more money than you and don't do a thing except complain about the budget, travel, have cars, drivers, expense accounts, eat and do their nails? I don't think so.

If Detroit City employee unions don't step up and fight government corruption , these politicians will be pimping up, making more money then you all. Corruption has made Detroit government what it is today and its going take heavy sacrifices and lay-off to put Detroit back on the map. All of middle class Americans should have a safety net if they get laid-off, or get into serious injuries or being fired. So start problem solving and survive and be grateful they you're alive in America.

[corktownyuppie]

The City of Detroit has continuously asked for concessions from employees and have received them. Just how much is a person supposed to give up in your opinion?
Would you work for a whole lot less while your bosses are tooling around in the CofD in pimped out rides? I don't think so. Would you work for peanuts while the administration and appointees are making 4 and 5 times more money than you and don't do a thing except complain about the budget, travel, have cars, drivers, expense accounts, eat and do their nails? I don't think so.

Recognizing that we come from different ideologies, I get that our opinions won't have a lot of overlap. One place where we agree is that management needs to slim down LOTS. All the perks need to be eliminated, as do many of the positions.

So here's my question. Don't you think that wages, while dropping, should be looked at in comparison to costs of living, which are in total free fall? For example, someone else posted about how home in East English Village that used to sell for $90,000 are selling for $10-20,000. If you're a DSWS guy earning 45k per year living out in the burbs, you could probably afford another 10% paycut, sell your home in Harper Woods, buy a house in EEV for PEANUTS, and still end up ahead, despite the higher tax rate and insurance!

I mean, when you're talking about selling a $120,000 home and purchasing a similar-sized home for $20,000...you can find a way to make the numbers work.

And maybe city leadership says that if you're a Detroit resident, the paycut is only 5%. City ends up with less cost, more revenue, a higher-density population, and on the road to stability, right?

I don't want to see people suffering either. And I certainly don't think the masses should suffer while the wealthy are eating cake. At the same time, capital costs in Detroit have hit the FLOOR. And unemployment is so high that it's not like 20 other people won't be happy to work for less.

Will it be possible for guys who moved out of the city 15 years ago to stay in their new home on Hall Rd but still work in the city? Hell no. But isn't that the very thing what caused so many problems in the first place? Hell, my parents have lost $50k in equity in the house that they bought in 2001. But they could take the equity that's left, buy back their old house for pennies on the dollar, take a 10% cut in their benefits, and still have money left over to buy the vacant house next door, fix up, and rent to someone with positive cashflow for $500/mo.

[SteveJ]

From the sounds of it, most city workers don't make much. The bus drivers make $13 hour and I'm sure the guys shoveling snow in front of city hall aren't making huge bucks. Going from 30k down to 27k is a huge difference. You're talking $250 month when stuff is tight as it is.

[skyl4rk]

Unless I missed something in the news, no layoffs happened today.

I really have to question why Bing would use this as a bluff. Perhaps he could not get his HR department to issue the layoff notices?

From a strategy perspective, threatening to lay off 1000 employees on Dec 5 and then not doing it, that makes for a pretty weak image. Why threaten people and make them worry, then take no action?

I guess there is no need to believe what Bing says anymore.

*tosses Deficit Elimination Plan in trash*

[mwilbert]

Mass layoffs aren't really about fairness, or efficiency, or anything else other than cost-cutting, and as SteveJ points out, these are mostly not particularly well paid people. If the city had started laying people off 5 years ago it probably could have been a less disruptive process, but there is nothing unusual about putting off the unpleasant.

Assuming there is an EFM, I'm sure that lots of management folks will be cut if the administration doesn't manage it before that.

[evergreen]

Funny that Bing picked December 5. It's a budget furlough day, no city business was transacted. No one would be at work to receive layoff notices in most departments.

Gotta luv that guy.