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Fire union to vote on saving jobs
By Lauren Stanforth Staff Writer
Published: 12:00 a.m., Monday, December 20, 2010

SCHENECTADY -- Planned cuts in the number of city firefighters next year could be avoided if the firefighters union ratifies a new contract with the city this week.

City Council President Gary McCarthy said Sunday that the union, Local 28, and city negotiators have a tentative memorandum of understanding that is ready to be voted on by the union. "It's a multiyear agreement that is structured in a way that will preserve staffing in the Fire Department at the current levels," he said.

McCarthy said he couldn't discuss details of the possible contract. The City Council will review the tentative agreement in an executive session at Monday 's committee meeting.

In October, Mayor Brian U. Stratton proposed a $76.9 million budget that called for eliminating 19 firefighter positions and shutting one of four firehouses to help close a multimillion-dollar budget hole. That plan sparked a protest by about 200 area firefighters outside City Hall Oct. 12 and a public relations campaign that included leafleting and posting lawn signs around the city.

The union, which includes about 120 people, had been negotiating with the city to resolve its contract, which expired at the end of 2009. Union leaders also agreed to discuss possible concessions to save jobs targeted for elimination, which at one point numbered 22, including three trainees, according to Fire Chief Robert Farstad.

The City Council adopted a $77 million budget that whittled firefighter job losses to 14 and upped the tax increase from 4 to 4.9 percent. McCarthy said the actual number of firefighter positions that could be saved with a contract approval is unknown, as the department has been operating above authorized strength with the approval of civil service......................>>>>................>>>>....................http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Fire-union-to-vote-on-saving-jobs-909964.php

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McCarthy said he couldn't discuss details of the possible contract.

Transparency in government.

Working together works! Working together works! No layoffs-let the sheeple pay even more in a recession. And the horrible City Council rubber stamps are still in the dark. Wayne Harper needs to get that flashlight shipment into City Hall before Christmas. Send them UPS!

     BTW, according to new census figures Schenectady has the LOWEST per capita household incomes in the region. Lower than Albany. Lower than Troy. Thanks for your great work increasing employment Death Ray-lol. It must be all that nonprofit spending-lol. But facts never stop the all DEM rubber stamps from doing the "people's work". Raise taxes, raise fees and then fine people that leave their property abandoned due to the record DEM taxes and fees.

Another one of those closed-curtain, secret handshake deals that no one will know about until the day after the next election. If the deal is so good, why can't the common taxpayer know? It is our money funding the budget, right?

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McCarthy said the actual number of firefighter positions that could be saved with a contract approval is unknown, as the department has been operating above authorized strength with the approval of civil service

And this means 'what'?

Quoted from rachel72

Another one of those closed-curtain, secret handshake deals that no one will know about until the day after the next election. If the deal is so good, why can't the common taxpayer know? It is our money funding the budget, right?

Because it's ain't so good-for us. McCarthy needs to get up to speed on something. The old song that "he's in the dark" on the pension scandal, on the double attorneys-at double price, on the firefighters contract, is not credible. I can hear his platform for Mayor, "I was in the dark for 20 years-show me the light switch". Apparently this is now what passes as City DEM "leadership".

    BTW, the City had 110 firefighters for years. Under the current "leadership" they padded it up to 122. Now with the City broke and the budget horribly unbalanced they want to get back to 110. This is another problem caused by a clueless administration with militant indifference to the taxpayers. A DEM spending orgy for 35 years.

Obviously, the Schenectady Firefighters made some sort of concession to save the jobs ---  this was probably
the reason that the layoffs were proposed to begin with --- to use as a bargaining leverage.

Once again, Mayor Stratton delivers for Schenectady.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

Once again, Mayor Stratton delivers for Schenectady.

Right! Higher taxes, more fees, illegal pension padding where he got caught red handed by the Times Union and lied about it, 2 City attorneys at 2 full salaries doing the work of one, a $314,000 golf pro taking 3/5's of the Muni golf course revenue and a planning commission in jail for 5 years. A record of convictions!

     He's a regular Santa delivering goodies for a handful of DEM elite while the vast majority wish he would resign in disgrace.

Quoted from benny salami

Because it's ain't so good-for us. McCarthy needs to get up to speed on something. The old song that "he's in the dark" on the pension scandal, on the double attorneys-at double price, on the firefighters contract, is not credible. I can hear his platform for Mayor, "I was in the dark for 20 years-show me the light switch". Apparently this is now what passes as City DEM "leadership".

    BTW, the City had 110 firefighters for years. Under the current "leadership" they padded it up to 122. Now with the City broke and the budget horribly unbalanced they want to get back to 110. This is another problem caused by a clueless administration with militant indifference to the taxpayers. A DEM spending orgy for 35 years.

THey need more firefighters.  With all those vacant houses attracting kids playing with matches, poof.   Given that the houses are so close to each other, can you imagine living next door to a vacant house that goes up in flames and the flames jump to your house?   Wonder if the city will pay for the damage to your house when they taxed your neighbors out of their home, and since your neighbors house had no buyers, it sits vacant and attracts the scum.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

Obviously, the Schenectady Firefighters made some sort of concession to save the jobs ---  this was probably
the reason that the layoffs were proposed to begin with --- to use as a bargaining leverage.

Once again, Mayor Stratton delivers for Schenectady.

gee, DV, why don't you just say that the city would be better off by eliminating the whole fire department.  Then your buddy Stratton can give 110% tax exemptions to the millionaires who own property downtown.

Just remember, dV, it was Stratton who wanted to cut the fire dept while giving his political cronie a HUGE pension.

They need more fire fighters and police. So make other cuts like City vehicles, DSIC, cellphones, useless planning and development, privatize garbage, get a serious PILOT program going. Slash all unnecessary City services. They don't do anything but raise taxes and fees.

     Stop increasing taxes on homeowners and cooking up new tiers to screw business people. Spending keeps going up and revenues tank. The City taxpayers are maxed out and can't afford these morons.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

Once again, Mayor Stratton delivers for Schenectady.

Are you serious? In what delusional reality has Stratton even helped any taxpaying homeowner in Schenectady....and I say homeowner because businesses in the entire downtown area pay NOTHING in taxes! He stood by and did nothing when over-inflated assessments on City homes happened, increased our taxes to the highest in NY with very VERY little in return. Sub-par schools, a corrupt police force, city workers who do not even live in the county, illegal retirement deals with the fire chief....there's more, lots more.

The only delivery Stratton has achieved is putting Schenectady taxpayers in financial ruins!

Of course the Nattering Nayboobs of Negativity would love to turn the clock back to the "wonder years"
when  Mayor Al was in office  ..... I can hear them praying "lets go back to the good old days" when
State Street's storefronts were all empty .... when the only direction traffic was flowing was OUT of the city".

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

Of course the Nattering Nayboobs of Negativity would love to turn the clock back to the "wonder years"
when  Mayor Al was in office  ..... I can hear them praying "lets go back to the good old days" when
State Street's storefronts were all empty .... when the only direction traffic was flowing was OUT of the city".

Uh, DV. look around in the city, the only direction traffic is going in now, under the Savage/Gillen/Stratton team is OUT of the city.  Come on DV, tell us who is moving into the city??????  

Look at Mr Morris....which direction did he go??????   Huh????????   Huh??????????

Look at the people who owned that nice house in the GE plot.  Which way did they go?????   Huh??????   Huh????????

Look Stratton's political cronies - the dept heads and other high level city employees.  Where are they??????   Huh??????   Where do they live?????   Huh?????? Provide us the CITY addresses of his cronies!!!!!

How about all those high paid state workers, engineers are probably the biggest job title in a state agency whose primary task is to engineer roads and bridges.  So, tell us DV, where to they live??????   Which ones who were FORCED to transfe here have chosen to buy a house in the city?????   HUh????????   Can you answer that??????????

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

Of course the Nattering Nayboobs of Negativity would love to turn the clock back to the "wonder years"
when  Mayor Al was in office  ..... I can hear them praying "lets go back to the good old days" when
State Street's storefronts were all empty .... when the only direction traffic was flowing was OUT of the city".

Uh, what kind of wild imagination do you have???????????????????????????

Can you plese explain how traffic is coming into the city?????????????   DV, under the leadership of Savage/Gillen/Stratton, the vacancy rate of housing in the city has incrased to an all time record high!   Can you explain how you claim traffic is flowing into the city when the vacancy rate PROVES otherwise, and PROVES YOU 1,000% WRONG!