  Quinn Member Username: Quinn Post Number: 1699 Registered: 01-2005 |
Hey Guys, we need some help from you to call Brenda Jones' office... this is really bad on her part. Have any of you noticed the tree plantings going on over the past year? That has been made possible by coordinated efforts of the City's General Services Division with VOLUNTEERS at the Greening of Detroit. NOW, Brenda Jones is holding up the continuing proposal in her committee because a loca union is saying that city workers should be paid to do these plantings. Simply put...without the volunteers nothing will get planted because we can't afford to pay for it to be done. She's being silly, but has the power to keep the entire council from voting on this. Please call her! 313.224.1245 Here's a note from my friend who works for the City, posted with her permission: Council Member Brenda Jones is holding up the Greening of Detroit contract to plant trees in the City of Detroit. She feels this work might be better done under union personnel. The problem is the City wants their tree cutting/trimming personnel to work on the 50,000 dead and dangerous trees we have in the City versus using these resources to plant new trees. The City pays the Greening to do the plantings (recruit volunteers and oversee the quality) that otherwise the City could not afford to do on a cost and time basis. Currently all planting services are delivered by volunteer resources, could you imagine the budget if we needed to pay the over 200 resources we had volunteering in our community last weekend...there would be no beautification program, it wouldn't make the City's budget. Trust me, I am all for unions when it makes sense, however, I'm not sure this approach makes sense for our city right now. If y ou support the tremendous work that the Greening of Detroit has done for our neighborhoods and want to continue to see them have the opportunity to continue to contribute to our city, please please call Brenda Jones to urge her to support the Greening of Detroit and the City efforts to continue planting trees. She can be reached at 224-1245. The City has already had to cancel numerous plantings that were scheduled for this Fall. Please forward to Detroit friends...they must call Brenda Jones office. | ||
Topflight Member Username: Topflight Post Number: 57 Registered: 04-2008 |
I'm calling right now. | ||
Higgs1634 Member Username: Higgs1634 Post Number: 723 Registered: 10-2005 |
Isn't this what unions are for? The union is getting it's money's worth out of it's member dues by having a council member paid for to protect its member's interests above all else. Your stance is directly anti union. Why do you hate unions and love the scabs? (Message edited by higgs1634 on October 31, 2008) | ||
Neilr Member Username: Neilr Post Number: 830 Registered: 06-2005 |
Thanks for the posting. I just called. | ||
Greebomusic Member Username: Greebomusic Post Number: 18 Registered: 08-2008 |
If they are not being paid, how are they scabs? | ||
Cub Member Username: Cub Post Number: 923 Registered: 02-2007 |
A lot of citizens are asking for trees to be planted in their neighborhoods. No money no Union Jobs. Let the volunteers do it. So I should stop cleaning vacant lots cause we have Union city workers to do the job YEA RIGHT!! | ||
Lilpup Member Username: Lilpup Post Number: 5544 Registered: 06-2004 |
How can only one person be holding up a proposal in committee? Aren't all the committees at least three people? | ||
Higgs1634 Member Username: Higgs1634 Post Number: 724 Registered: 10-2005 |
quote: Those are the scabs that every anti-worker establishment looks for. You can not dress up the wolf that is blatant Union busting in the sheep's clothing of "volunteerism". The Union of tree workers and trimmers controls those jobs. It must stand to protect thier workers. What is next? Chain Gangs taking good union road crew jobs!?! I mean sure they are putting individuals that are otherwise a drain on society to a good use and at a fraction of the cost, but they are still SCABS! Stand with Unions (that made this city and this State the great economic power it is today) or stand against them. It's your choice. | ||
Eric Member Username: Eric Post Number: 1204 Registered: 11-2004 |
Watching the 10/30 Internal Operations committee session the it seems that union and city still working out issues as to letting the Green of Detroit do the work. you can watch it here: http://www.helloworld.com/memb ers_myworld.aspx?ID=DCCTV&targ et=show | ||
Detroitbred Member Username: Detroitbred Post Number: 158 Registered: 06-2008 |
Higgs, In case you haven't looked around lately, this city and or state are NOT such great economic powers now, thanks in part to the unions. | ||
Quinn Member Username: Quinn Post Number: 1700 Registered: 01-2005 |
From what I know, the vote will not go to the full council unless it passes this committee with a majority (2/3) vote. Reeves supports it. Brenda jones does not...and Kenyatta owes her a vote or something (or they have a slate or something er other) and will vote however she does. Brenda is the key. I'm not anti union. No city workers would do this planting...get it? It's volunteer only! GEESH!!!! The city could be beautiful in 10 years with all the disease resistant, fantastic trees they want to continue to plant. This is like saying no a free lunch when you're starving. | ||
Higgs1634 Member Username: Higgs1634 Post Number: 725 Registered: 10-2005 |
quote: It's management's fault...and John Engler's. quote: BUT, city workers...city UNION workers....COULD be doing it the City just doesn't want to pay them to do the job. STOP SCABS. quote: If that free lunch comes with the aftertaste of broken SOLIDARITY it should be refused! | ||
Greebomusic Member Username: Greebomusic Post Number: 19 Registered: 08-2008 |
I can't seem to find a union for tree trimmers and workers in Michigan. C'mon, you're making this up. | ||
Patrick Member Username: Patrick Post Number: 5737 Registered: 10-2003 |
No, it's not made up. Actually, we had a pretty deep thread about this not all that long ago. | ||
Diehard Member Username: Diehard Post Number: 625 Registered: 03-2005 |
Higgs, why do you hate trees? | ||
Mikie Member Username: Mikie Post Number: 176 Registered: 06-2006 |
I think that Higgs is having fun again i.e. (stirring the pot)! | ||
Eastsidedame Member Username: Eastsidedame Post Number: 628 Registered: 12-2006 |
If I lived in town, I'd help too. This is important! We need our trees, dang it! But, since I don't I'll just bump this thread. | ||
Mayor_sekou Member Username: Mayor_sekou Post Number: 2690 Registered: 09-2006 |
I knew it was a bad idea for the Greening to get tied up with the city, and considering the huge budget deficit you would think they would want to have volunteers or non union workers do this kind of work. Stupidity Detroit style. | ||
Rid0617 Member Username: Rid0617 Post Number: 333 Registered: 03-2008 |
Scabs get paid. Apparently there is a union for volunteers now. There WAS a time unions were necessary. Now the unions full time job is surviving while we watch jobs go to Mexico and China. This entire debate is the same as if I volunteered to cut grass on some city vacant lots in my neighborhood and the union demand union grass cutters do it instead. | ||
Cooper Member Username: Cooper Post Number: 41 Registered: 02-2008 |
Here's the union's position: http://www.reuters.com/article /pressRelease/idUS100736+18-Ju l-2008+PRN20080718 Basically, they blame the city for failing to communicate/cooperate: quote: As to the issue of volunteers: quote: | ||
Digitalvision Member Username: Digitalvision Post Number: 1437 Registered: 11-2003 |
So at what point do these folks in council and wake up that the city is collapsing around them? The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Detroit's done the same thing, over and over again, for decades, and has gotten the same results. Wait until the incentive war starts between Warren and Detroit in the next couple years for GM HQ. Two catfighting governments going at each other should be entertaining, if not sad for us all. | ||
Sean_of_detroit Member Username: Sean_of_detroit Post Number: 2164 Registered: 03-2008 |
I'll bring the popcorn... and pretfulls. Sigh | ||
Lefty2 Member Username: Lefty2 Post Number: 2821 Registered: 07-2007 |
the money is coming from where? | ||
Diehard Member Username: Diehard Post Number: 636 Registered: 03-2005 |
Let's see... Emerald ash borers show up around 2002-2004ish and munch a bunch of trees. City of Detroit couldn't stop them. Trees die en masse because of the ash borers. City of Detroit is forced to cut down thousands of dead trees. City of Detroit has no money to plant new trees. Greening of Detroit offers to replace dead trees. Greening of Detroit organizes large volunteer tree-planting campaigns. Thousands of trees get planted at no cost to the city. Union takes notice, years after the problem first arose, steps in and says "NO YOU CAN'T!" I don't get it. | ||
Downtown99 Member Username: Downtown99 Post Number: 7 Registered: 11-2008 |
Councilmember Brenda Jones is simply doing her job ! Union workers live and pay taxes here too ! | ||
7051 Member Username: 7051 Post Number: 181 Registered: 02-2006 |
Very few city workers live here-less than 50 percent, possibly even lower. The council is clueless - they actually believe they are still protecting resident's jobs- not true anymore. Make the cuts... -A concerned city taxpayer and resident. | ||
Dougw Member Username: Dougw Post Number: 2202 Registered: 11-2003 |
The AFSCME can go fuck themselves. Is there any way that we city residents can vote to eliminate the AFSCME? Let's stop pretending that they are some sort of force for social good; they are not. | ||
Dougw Member Username: Dougw Post Number: 2203 Registered: 11-2003 |
quote: I would be interested to know exactly what percentage of AFSCME employees live in the city... I wonder if that information is available. | ||
Registeredguest Member Username: Registeredguest Post Number: 448 Registered: 10-2003 |
"Is there any way that we city residents can vote to eliminate the AFSCME? Let's stop pretending that they are some sort of force for social good; they are not." Yeah - we can vote for council people and a mayor who will opt to not renew (or better yet, void) these uncompetitive labor contracts and hire non-union city workers. An alternative would be a grass-roots, neighborhood based effort encouraging council and/or the mayor to void these when they come up for discussion. Council needs to hear from Detroit residents that the function of government is not to employ, but to serve. It's really embarrassing to see the crappy state of this city and its services, especially when there are so many who are paid so well. Most don't care about the quality of their work or the place where they work, and if they don't care, then why should we care about their cushy jobs. | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 3738 Registered: 07-2004 |
I may be wrong, but doesn't Greening of Detroit also use prison laborers? I think they used to. | ||
Goat Member Username: Goat Post Number: 10536 Registered: 10-2003 |
I'm all for chain gangs and ditch diggers too! The taxpayers pockets are only so deep and if the workers can't do it or the city can't afford to do it tough shit. Bring on the volunteers. | ||
Ndavies Member Username: Ndavies Post Number: 3120 Registered: 10-2003 |
Well, she may be still holding up the plantings, however the Union just lost an arbitration hearing and Greening Detroit will be able to reopen the Detroit tree Nursery. http://www.detnews.com/apps/pb cs.dll/article?AID=/20081118/M ETRO01/811180435/1361 | ||
Ndavies Member Username: Ndavies Post Number: 3122 Registered: 10-2003 |
And they are going to get hung out to dry on 20/20 tonight. http://info.detnews.com/redesi gn/blogs/detroitcityhallinside r/index.cfm | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 3761 Registered: 07-2004 |
John Stossel is a tool, though. I wish HE'D give US a break, from his smarmy, self-serving, smug commentaries. Just the fact that Stossel mouths off on one side of any issue is enough for me to lend credence to the other side. Total tool. |
