Labor_Day_parade_Buffalo_NY

 

Monday September 6th is Labor Day

The first Labor Day in the United States was celebrated on September 5, 1882 in New York City.  In the aftermath of the deaths of a number of workers at the hands of the U.S. military and U.S. Marshals during the 1894 Pullman Strike, President Grover Cleveland put reconciliation with Labor as a top political priority. Fearing further conflict, legislation making Labor Day a national holiday was rushed through Congress unanimously and signed into law a mere six days after the end of the strike.  Cleveland was also concerned that aligning an American labor holiday with existing international May Day celebrations would stir up negative emotions linked to the Haymarket Affair.  All 50 U.S. states have made Labor Day a state holiday.  Pictured at right is a photo of a Labor Day parade on Main St. in Buffalo NY in 1900.

 


Proposed Budget Cuts

budget_cutPosted Feb 1, 2010
By: Will Buividas Chief Negotiator

The City Manager’s PROPOSED budget was released on Thursday January 28, 2010.  Many view his budget and police cuts as a clear attack on public safety.  Mr. Cavazos is PROPOSING to lay off 349 Phoenix Police Officers which includes the demotion of 63 supervisors and the elimination of various command positions. These cuts on the back of 450 existing police vacancies are dangerous examples of poor public policy.

These cuts will have a huge impact on the service police officers are able to provide to the community. This will set us back to the days when pages of calls were holding at any given time, priority 3 calls might be answered in 12 hours, and patrol will have no help because all of the support details will be decimated.

These cuts affect everyone on the Department. Whether you are a detective that now has hundreds of extra cases a month to complete for victims, a specialty detail member who is now being told to return to patrol after years of successful work taking violent felons off the streets, or an existing patrol officer who might now have to change squads and operate with hundreds of fewer patrol officers than we have today, Mr. Cavazos’ budget is taking public safety the wrong direction. While the PROPOSED budget does bring some people back to patrol, it does not bring 349 people back, meaning we will have significant fewer officers in patrol on April 5th than today.

The crisis these public safety cuts will cause is straight from the desk of the City Manager, not Department management.  Along with PLEA, the Public Safety Manager has been on TV, radio, and in the newspaper saying these cuts will affect the way the Phoenix Police Department operates. Chief Harris is saying that citizen’s will not be happy with the PROPOSED cuts. However, the City Manager is singing a different tune. While the City Manager is proposing to lay off over 12% of the Police Department, he is PROPOSING to only lay off 6% of the librarians, street’s workers, and parks employees. Even more disappointing is that he is only cutting civilian management throughout the City by 8%. The other day the City Manager told one of our community partners that he sees “no difference between a police officer and a librarian.”  According to Mr. Cavazos’ proposed budget, the sacrifices made by librarians equal the lives lost by police officers.  His claim rings hollow in front of the pictures of over 30 Phoenix Police Officers at the PLEA office who were killed in the line of duty.  His shameful comment lacks common sense and devalues the lives of law enforcement.  PLEA has been in touch with the City Council.  They have communicated to PLEA that this budget does not represent the value they place on public safety. Thankfully, they will have the FINAL say on the budget, not the City Manager.

What’s next?

PLEA began running public safety announcements on Thursday January 28th. They will continue to run through the community budget meetings.  These PSAs have generated a positive response from the community.  Please CLICK HERE to view them.

PLEA has also been meeting with the legislature and our community partners multiple times a day and will continue working with them throughout this process.  As in the past, the community understands the value of police officers and the costly commitment they make.  The community does not see cuts to police as a viable option for the City of Phoenix.  They remember what Maryvale was like three years ago; they remember waiting hours for a response to a call for service. They do not want the City Manager to take them back to those days.  Ann Malone, Donna Neill, Paul Barnes, Greta Rogers, and Jeff Fine are some of the key leaders of a coalition of community groups. This coalition will have thousands and thousands of citizens all with one united voice; “NO SERVICE CUTS TO THE PHOENIX POLICE DEPARTMENT.”  They will be advocating for a temporary food tax to get us through this recession without any further cuts to the Police Department. They will be at every single community budget meeting advocating for Phoenix Police Officers.

Community Budget Meetings:

Community budget meetings will be held from February 10th through the 24th. CLICK HERE for information on locations and times.  We need every single PLEA member to be at each of these meetings.  Make sure to bring your family, friends, and neighbors.  The City Council will make their determination of where to cut and by how much at these meetings. Remind these council members that they ran on a platform calling for more cops and a commitment to public safety.  You or your family may speak if you like.  If you do not wish to speak, make sure that you still fill out a comment card and write “NO TO OFFICER LAYOFFS.” I can’t stress enough how important your attendance is at these meetings.  I guarantee the “friends of the library” will be there.

Final Decision:

On March 2nd at 1400 hours at the council chambers the City Council will vote on the final budget. This is “D-Day” for all intents and purposes. Again, your attendance is extremely important.  Please show up.  You have to be off-duty and out of uniform. If you can’t make it, please send your family, friends, and neighbors in your place. This is the crucial day as the FINAL decision will be made by our City Council.

Negotiations:

PLEA is currently in negotiations with the City.  Before any contractual (MOU) rights and benefits are agreed upon, PLEA MEMBERS will be given the opportunity to ratify the agreement.

Bottom Line:

Now is the time for us to stick together. We are only as strong as our weakest link. We need to be united not divided. Pointing fingers and selfishness will certainly detract from any successful outcome.  It appears that Mr. Cavazos would like nothing more than to divide us so he can start dismantling the Phoenix Police Department by PROPOSING to lay off 349 of our fellow officers.  It’s important that the City Manager not be allowed to increase the risks to cops and decrease the quality of life for the community.

Only PLEA MEMBERS will have a voice and a vote in any concession issues.

If you have any questions, concerns, or comments, please do not hesitate to call the PLEA office (602-246-7869) or email your PLEA board or reps at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .