Tent cities spring up around LA — A California city goes bankrupt, can’t pay its outrageous union employee salaries

Update:
Mick Gregory

This is the current state of California. But you haven’t read about it in the LA Times or SF Chronicle. It’s being reported by the BBC and YouTube and by citizen journalists.

I’m not surprised the elitist mainstream newspapers are not reporting that 500 homes a day are foreclosed on in California now. But when will they?

“Tent cities have sprung up outside Los Angeles as people lose their homes in the mortgage crisis.”
Granted, the climate is nice and these tent cities are nothing new.

Now this: Vallejo, a suburban city outside of San Francisco faces a $16 million deficit in the 2008-2009 budget starting July 1 and unsuccessfully negotiated with its government employees including electrical workers unions for contract concessions through 2012. Public safety salaries comprise 74 percent of the city’s general fund budget.

John Riley, president of the International Association of Firefighters, said he is disappointed by the 7-0 vote to file bankruptcy. Any ideas Mr. Riley? How about you get the average benefits that the taxpayers of your community get? Not full-pay after 20 years of service and free medical for life.

Ask your average newspaper reporter if their benefits come close to that.

There will be no bail out for the “free” press, but I’d bet that there will be for these city service union employees. Just raise taxes.

Nearly 70 union members fired at the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News

Philadelphia Newspapers Lay off 68 Guild Union Members

Feb. 27, 2008

The Company laid off 68 Guild members today from the advertising, circulation, customer service, finance, marketing communications and systems departments.

“If the revenue is not there, then we have to cut expenses,” Michael Lorenca, executive vice president of Human Resources, told Guild officers. He said he did not know how much savings would result from the layoffs.

The layoff is effective March 28. However, the Company has told members to leave today and plans to reassign their work to surviving staff.

The Guild will begin working with the company to establish which of the laid off workers have “bumping rights” into other positions. That works the good old fashion union way. Those with seniority, bump those with less seniority if the position is comparable. The trouble with that is, once the laid off worker gets a lower position back, with less pay, they will soon realize they would have been better off being with the fired employees. HR gets a two-for.

Hey, maybe Hillary or Obama can save their jobs.