New Haven Independent

Posted by: John Tulin | September 16, 2008 7:20 PM

"It involves "reshuffling the deck" of staff to deploy custodians in a more efficient way."

Wow, great idea.....here's another one: can all departments do that? Now? Can that be 'the norm'?

OMG, I thought that up all by my self, and I am not even a mayor!

Posted by: Charlie | September 16, 2008 7:27 PM

This smells like BS. It sounds like cooked acounting. All it took to close the $6m gap was to layoff another 35 people? What about laying off ten people, some of whom find jobs elsewhere in the city? Excuse me, doesn't sound like ten people actually got laid off. Not seating the police class delays the $400,000 expense to next year. Good to see there were finally some savings achieved with competitively bidding the city's health coverage. I guess King John won't be getting those contributions next time he runs for office. This sounds like more of the same. Nothing semms to have changed.

Posted by: East Rock | September 16, 2008 8:18 PM

Hows that Pay raise treating you John?

Destefano is the type of person that would hoard all the life jackets on a sinking ship.

Posted by: omerta | September 16, 2008 8:21 PM

28 layoffs will give $900,000 in savings. Hummmm.
Avearge saving per person $32,142. Allowing for health, pension and other benefits this works out about $25,000 to $27,000 in pay per laid off worker. These are not the mid management jobs DeStefano claims. It looks like these will be manual workers in the unions that have refused to give concessions. Pay back time from the Mayor. The losers - city residents. No snow clearing, more pot holes, grass in parks not mowed, and worse Yo get what you pay for.

Now look at education. 7 jobs to go. Bet they are janitors or food service workers. The BoE has about 2000 staff on its payrolls, and another 1100 staff that the city provides. 7 out of 3100 is peanuts. What do the 1100 do??????????

My guess is this is just posturing. More layoffs will come later or there will be an emergency tax hike. Hinting at pension problems is a give away. Oh, we didn't forsee Lehman Bros or AIG to be such a problem. Even though that happened yesterday.

The other give away is the statement that some of those layed off may want to retire. So the city wanted more than the 27 taking early retirement to go??????????? What will happen now. The old cronies that do nothing will bump the younger people doing all the work. Even worse srvices.

So the BOE, Police and Fire are not to be touched. Are any of the 12 paper pushers in the mayors office going to go??????? The ones that hold his armoire door open for him???????

Look the simple and sensible thing to do is to cut $4 million from the $48 million school construction budget. As the state adds 90% of the monmey the city will still be getting half a billion dollars worth of schools this year. If we only get 7 instead of 8 new schools does it matter?????????????

Posted by: Fred | September 16, 2008 10:39 PM

Despite all the stats, I see a ton of high paying jobs posted on employment sites -

http://www.linkedin.com (professional networking)
http://www.realmatch.com (matches you to the perfect job)

The HP folks will find more work

Posted by: Robert Montuori President local 287 | September 16, 2008 11:51 PM

The custodians union of Local 287 has in no way shape or form made any deal or agreed to any thing. This is the Will Clark negotiate in the media tactic."ReShuffling the deck" this is not a game Will peoples lives are at stake here!!!!

Posted by: Bruce | September 17, 2008 9:14 AM

While the band plays on...

"The city has chosen, however, to delay seating of a new police class from the spring to the fall, for a savings of $400,000."

How about cutting (or scaling down) Arts & Ideas instead of desperately-needed police officers. Summer is full of fun things to do and there is no need for a gala extravaganza of this magnitude. How much do we spend each year on this? $500k? $1 million? I know this is an unpopular idea and I love summer events on the green as much as anyone, but don't the priorities just seem backwards here?

Posted by: citizen | September 17, 2008 10:17 AM

Well said Bruce

Posted by: Um Bruce | September 17, 2008 11:22 AM

Bruce --

I don't think the city makes much (or any) financial contribution to Arts and Ideas. Actually, I think they charge A&I for most services (police, etc) but in some cases may try to move things around to reduce these costs.

Might just be good to get your facts straight. The reason New Haven has lots of fun things to do in the summer is because the city and others provide them and the city has for years been cutting its contributions to arts organizations.

Such cuts are probably not on the whole a good thing even if they are necessary.

But to state something entirely wrong about A&I seems to fit the mold here at the NHI of bashing everything with limited or made up "information."

Love ya.

Posted by: politico | September 17, 2008 11:34 AM

Thanks Bruce

A 15 minute firwork display on July 4th instead of 30 minutes would probably save 2 jobs.

Posted by: Big Union Supporter | September 17, 2008 11:36 AM

Robert Montuori,

I am so glad you don't believe in using the press to engage in a labor dispute /snark.

Wait, are you saying that the city SHOULD be laying off your members too? What happened? Did the other union heads suddenly come down on you for trying to do what's right by your members and maybe breaking with some agreement among leadership not to cut separate deals?

Remember that police, fire and teachers know they are never going to have layoffs and that the management union is controlled by folks with decades of seniority, who are similarly not going to lose their jobs because of their bumping rights with regard to people with less seniority.

As a proud supporter of unions, I would encourage you to think about all of your members, and the limited number of job opportunities available out there right now for decent paying custodial and other blue collar work with benefits.

The article made it seem like you had decided to avoid layoffs and that was a righteous choice, not like you were some kind of sellout. And the other unions just made different choices, which is their important right and may have made the most sense for the majority of their members.

But those unions have different realities than yours. So don't get all flustered just because their leaders screamed at you all day yesterday.

Posted by: kris | September 17, 2008 1:03 PM

So while the mayor is laying people off this week,YNHH is handing out the new benefits package to thier employees.New perks for NON UNION YNHH employeess are prescription copays going DOWN,tuition reimbursement going UP and a wage INCREASE just to name a few.So John DeStefano can continue to bash Marna and Yale but lets face itI bet those union employees wish they worked at ynhh this week.Unions= cuts and layoffs...Non union YNHH=wage and benefit increase and hiring new staff all the time.The heck with JD,Marna's who ya need!

Posted by: anon | September 17, 2008 4:00 PM

Bruce, in terms of priorities being backwards, what do you think about the $2 billion Quinnipiac Bridge expansion?

Posted by: cedarhillresident | September 17, 2008 4:57 PM

I am waiting to see what happens with the layoffs. Hmmm they seemed to touch a few areas that people were asking them to but hmmmm. Not really. "Reshuffling the deck" meaning what? they gave up some of the fat in there over inflated budget. Love to see were everyone of these people are in a month. Hmmmmmm. But before I say my real thoughts I just want to see on Friday.

Posted by: John Tulin | September 17, 2008 6:04 PM

Gary??

Posted by: Melissa Bailey | September 17, 2008 7:27 PM

Correction: No layoffs will be made to the *sworn* members of the police and fire departments, layoffs may affect the non-sworn personnel.

Posted by: Gary Doyens | September 17, 2008 9:18 PM

I'm going to hold the full force of my fire until I see where the layoffs are, and how those that are laid off choose to bump those with less seniority. If they bump lower paid people, there will likely have to be additional layoffs to achieve the same results.

Having said that, there are a couple of observations:

1. Putting healthcare of 5,000 people out to bid on an annual or semi-annual basis is smart. Why has it taken so long and why give it back to Anthem who has intentionally taken advantage of loopholes to hose the taxpayers?

2. Rob Smuts during the budget hearings said delaying a new class would not save any money. Now, it does - what gives?

3. I find it hard to believe re-shuffling the custodial staff is the only way to wring savings from the BOE. I'd re-shuffle some of those high paid people at the central office and re-focus the mission of what's supposed to be taking place in our schools.

Our dear city is on the financial ropes - it will take a lot more than these token cuts, painful as they are for the individuals affected, and re-shuffling of the chairs to re-gain our footing and a bright future.

Posted by: cedarhillresident | September 18, 2008 8:17 AM

Gary :)

2. Rob Smuts during the budget hearings said delaying a new class would not save any money. Now, it does - what gives?

I remember that! Hmmmm

And I still believes their are other consultant positions that can be eliminated to save some of the lower blue collar jobs from the bumps.

The city REALLY need to address the BOE situation. I am tiered of them saying they have not control because of mandates!! Some of that is true but not all of it. TIME TO CLEAN HOUSE and get the BOE back to what it was...Education! Not a cushy job for friends and family!

Posted by: dom | September 18, 2008 3:02 PM

why are they looking at the union people to give back why can every employee give back based on what they make. that makes sense,i cant affored to live now this is the craziest city ive ever worked for

Posted by: outcast | September 18, 2008 9:48 PM

Hey, just to let you know that on Friday morning the Department heads was ordered to walk those people that will be layed off out the door after they recieve their pink slip. Also their logic for laying off people on Friday is so that the workers don't destroy the computer system.

We as city taxpayers are going to loose out on trash collection, plowing for the winter and other important services that are due to us in this city.

John D has decided to run for another term in 2009, but he wasn't the first to give up his raise to save peoples jobs.

In 1989 the Department of Public work and parks department had enough people to keep our city streets and parks clean, now each department have less that 40 men and women working to cover this city. Now think, taxes has increase and service had decrease what's wrong with this picture. I'll tell you John is getting greedy and taken from the needy.

I'll tell all of our city taxpayers how we need to demand where the cut should go, look at all of the policital appointments in his office that gave money, worked on JD governor and mayor campaign and don't live in the city but worked in the different city department, CUT THEM and send them back to there towns along with their children that's picking up all of the intermship in this city.

Or better yet LET MAKE A CHANGE and VOTE JOHN D out for 2009. WE DON"T WANT NO MORE CROOKS, so vote all of his piss boys off the board of aldermen. WE NEED A CHANGE!

He' John D robbin the people in the hood.

Posted by: outcast | September 18, 2008 9:49 PM

Hey, just to let you know that on Friday morning the Department heads was ordered to walk those people that will be layed off out the door after they recieve their pink slip. Also their logic for laying off people on Friday is so that the workers don't destroy the computer system.

We as city taxpayers are going to loose out on trash collection, plowing for the winter and other important services that are due to us in this city.

John D has decided to run for another term in 2009, but he wasn't the first to give up his raise to save peoples jobs.

In 1989 the Department of Public work and parks department had enough people to keep our city streets and parks clean, now each department have less that 40 men and women working to cover this city. Now think, taxes has increase and service had decrease what's wrong with this picture. I'll tell you John is getting greedy and taken from the needy.

I'll tell all of our city taxpayers how we need to demand where the cut should go, look at all of the policital appointments in his office that gave money, worked on JD governor and mayor campaign and don't live in the city but worked in the different city department, CUT THEM and send them back to there towns along with their children that's picking up all of the intermship in this city.

Or better yet LET MAKE A CHANGE and VOTE JOHN D out for 2009... WE NEED A CHANGE!

He' John D robbin the people in the hood.

Posted by: Nuby53 | September 19, 2008 9:09 AM

OMG.. When r we going to wake up and smell the COFFEE... Our goverment has been spending roughly 12 MILLION Dollars a day (or more)on war for the past five to six years, Now if my math is correct 2,190 days times 12 million and we wonder why every major city in this country is forced to LAYOFF in order to balance their budgets...And now we r asked to BAIL out the banking and finaincal insitutions... I don't see the LOUD CRY to stop this crazyness. How silly r we to fault the Mayor if we are not getting the funds from the Federal level unless you beleive he has a Money tree growing in his backyard...
Peace & Blessings

Posted by: John Tulin | September 19, 2008 9:11 AM

I apologize for not knowing this already, but.....

Can someone lay out for me who the serious, potential candidates for mayor will be?

When is it? Will it just come and go again, with the same results?

What grass-roots organizations are out there planning for the next election in this town?

Thanks

Posted by: cedarhillresident | September 19, 2008 9:36 AM

John Tulin

Their are feelers out their. The problem last year was their were no real qualified people that ran. So many voted for John. He was the better choose. You can't run on the "if you don't like john then vote for me ticket." We still live here and we do want a capable person in that office. As outcast stated the other way of hitting it is to get a large number of Alder's out of office. So depending on your ward you may want to look into who can run in that, or help friends from other wards. The city need to unite. It is important. We need to out number the machine in next years elections!
But to answer your question no qualified candidates have stepped froward yet. Although I have a few in mind.

Posted by: Bruce | September 19, 2008 1:30 PM

OK, Guilty. I can't figure out what the full amounts are, but the city DOES sponsor Arts & Ideas, you can see the logo on the website. 10 minutes digging through the budget resulted only in the following paragraph:

"Cultural Affairs will continue to sponsor festivals, and other arts-related events in downtown and neighborhoods..."

I just can't figure out what their budget is (beyond ~$60k in salaries) because the budget was not written for human comprehension. But I am still pretty certain that A&I gets significant funding from the City of New Haven (through Market New Haven, which gets money from the city). I remember hearing a few years ago that we pay $500k-$1 million for these events. Please, if someone has the correct info help me out and I will retract my opposition.

http://www.cityofnewhaven.com/Finance/pdfs/FY2008-09BOAApprovedBudget.pdf