This page contains a single entry from the blog posted on February 2, 2012 10:46 AM.
The previous post in this blog was Leaving no doubt.
The next post in this blog is Tell it like it is.
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The Portland City Council can easily get one's blood boiling, but in brighter moments it's important to stop and savor the sublime hilarity of their actions. Take the police fitness money scandal, for example -- the one in which any cop can get an extra $739 pay just by showing up once to take a blood test:
Ninety one percent, or 823 of the 900 members of the Portland Police Association got the extra pay the first year for simply showing up to get their finger pricked for blood, blood pressure taken and height and weight checked. The original plan was to have police take a timed obstacle and physical abilities test. Passing would earn the premium pay – 1 percent of top step officer salary, or $739.
The city scrapped the fitness test after the union balked about having to take the exams off-duty without receiving overtime. Yvonne Deckard, director of the city's Bureau of Human Resources, said the potential cost of paying officers overtime to take the fitness test would have been unacceptable.
We're surprised comics the world over haven't been yukking it up over that one. It's just too good. But almost as funny are the politicians' reactions to it. This abomination must stop! Yes, so outraged are the city commissioners that by gum, they're going to try to negotiate that out of the next union contract!
Leonard asked the City Council to consider a resolution that would put off any change until a new contract is negotiated in 2013. Under his plan, the city's Bureau of Human Resources would be directed to develop a physical fitness test for police before agreeing to pay a 1 percent premium health and fitness pay to officers in the next contract....
Mayor Sam Adams, who serves as police commissioner, said today, "Negotiations or implementation of the negotiations didn't go exactly as I had hoped."
The council voted 4 to 1 to approve Leonard's resolution. Saltzman objected.
What courage. What wonderful stewardship of the public's hard-earned money.
The capper of them all, though, is this:
Saltzman wants to require notetakers at all contract talks to provide an "accurate record" and greater involvement of the council and city attorney's office in crafting city bargaining agreements.
Note-takers? Note-takers? We've got five commissioners, each with a dozen or more minions running around on staff, and nobody knows what's in the union contracts because they need note-takers?
Fred Armisen, eat your heart out -- you'll never be that funny.
Comments (11)
I hope they don't load up on donuts before the test- that will really mess up their blood sugar level...
Sounds to me like one of those "let us make you better people" wellness kind of things a big brother city wanted in the contract, so the union bit. They should have had the foresight to go after perks or pay not so obviously abhorrent to the average taxpayer.
It would be interesting to see a room filled with the 77 cops who didn't take the blood test. I wonder how many of them would look like Mark McGwire or Barry Bonds in their "prime."
"Note takers?" Is that a typo? Don't they mean "negotiators?" That's like saying the Blazers need better fans, not better players.
Ha Ha Ha! The Portland Police Association (PPA), the police union, wins again! Like it always does!
The PPA is always prepared to outspend the City in prparing for "negotiations" by at least 10 to 1 and have the best of the best legal reps in interest arbitration, a process designed in favor of the unions in Oregon's collective bargaining law (originally written by Ted Kulongowski). The City knows this. Plus RandySam always want to give away the store anyway so folks like Ms. Deckard, try for change and hope for the best... And, always lose.
And just think - all those fake fitness premiums... they'll get factored into the City's unfunded Police Pension system.
Suck it up Portlanders. RandySam left you with a set of unparralleled labor contracts, unsustainable long term costs and no resources or expertise left to make any effective change. You elected giveaway scam artists and you will continue to repeat your errors by electing the next generation of scam artists.
TTR: I'm no fan of Mayor Mcstreetcar, but what's wrong with recording a 20 second intro for a promotion for local business, even if it is incredibly cheesy? God forbid might help out one of our few growing manufacturing sectors.
snowdog wrote: In my world, if you aren't able to do your job, you don't get to keep it.
So true. I occasionally lose sleep over the ups and downs in my career. It must be nice not to ever worry!
In their world, if you dumped your motorcycle and claimed disability, then the board not only paid up, they actually discouraged you from trying to rehabilitate and come back.
It was a free ride all the way, until the crackdown. I came across a couple (as in they were an item) of PPB officers who retired quite early via this method, then promptly lit out for sunnier climes. They certainly weren't alone.
Even if this isn't done anymore, the general attitude is still there...
Doesn't anyone even TRY to look like they are competent and honorable anymore? Is this what being on the public dole does to a person? Once you lose the connection between effort and reward, then it becomes a free for all of takers and abusers. But if we (taxpayers) allow public employees to take advantage of us, then we have trained them to expect no resistance.
Charamba, Douro 2008
Horse Heaven Hills, Cabernet 2010
Lorelle, Horse Heaven Hills Pinot Grigio 2011
Avignonesi, Montepulciano 2004
Lorelle, Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2011
Villa Antinori, Toscana 2007
Mercedes Eguren, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Lorelle, Columbia Valley Cabernet 2011
Purple Moon, Merlot 2011
Purple Moon, Chardonnnay 2011
Abacela, Vintner's Blend No. 12
Opula Red Blend 2010
Liberte, Pinot Noir 2010
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Indian Wells Red Blend 2010
Woodbridge, Chardonnay 2011
King Estate, Pinot Noir 2011
Famille Perrin, Cotes du Rhone Villages 2010
Columbia Crest, Les Chevaux Red 2010
14 Hands, Hot to Trot White Blend
Familia Bianchi, Malbec 2009
Terrapin Cellars, Pinot Gris 2011
Columbia Crest, Walter Clore Private Reserve 2009
Campo Viejo, Rioja, Termpranillo 2010
Ravenswood, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Quinta das Amoras, Vinho Tinto 2010
Waterbrook, Reserve Merlot 2009
Lorelle, Horse Heaven Hills, Pinot Grigio 2011
Tarantas, Rose
Chateau Lajarre, Bordeaux 2009
La Vielle Ferme, Rose 2011
Benvolio, Pinot Grigio 2011
Nobilo Icon, Pinot Noir 2009
Lello, Douro Tinto 2009
Quinson Fils, Cotes de Provence Rose 2011
Anindor, Pinot Gris 2010
Buenas Ondas, Syrah Rose 2010
Les Fiefs d'Anglars, Malbec 2009
14 Hands, Pinot Gris 2011
Conundrum 2012
Condes de Albarei, Albariño 2011
Columbia Crest, Walter Clore Private Reserve 2007
Penelope Sanchez, Garnacha Syrah 2010
Canoe Ridge, Merlot 2007
Atalaya do Mar, Godello 2010
Vega Montan, Mencia
Benvolio, Pinot Grigio
Nobilo Icon, Pinot Noir, Marlborough 2009
Portuga, Rose 2011
Revelation, Chardonnay, Pays d'Oc 2010
Beaulieu, Cabernet, Rutherford 2005
Monte Alto, Tinto Reserva 2005
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Cabernet, Indian Wells 2009
Espiral, Vinho Rose
Vin-Koru, Pinot Gris 2011
14 Hands, Hot to Trot Red 2009
Rodney Strong, Cabernet, Sonoma 2009
Abacela, Vintner's Blend #11
Portuga, White 2010
La Bourgeoisie, Red 2009
Januik, Red 2009
Three Rivers, River's Red 2008
Kirkland, Alexander Valley Merlot 2008
Muga, Rioja Rose 2010
Quinta das Amoras, Vinho Tinto 2009
Mauro Molino, Barbera d'Alba 2009
Garda Chiaretto Rose
Columbia Crest, Two Vines Vineyard 10 White
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Pinot Gris, Columbia Valley 2009
L'Hortus, Rose de Saignee 2010
Maculan, Pino & Toi 2008
McKinley Springs, Bombing Range Red 2008
Trader Joe's Pinot Gris 2009
Montes Alpha, Cabernet 2007
Gran Sasso, Sangiovese, Terre di Chieti 2009
Garda, Classico Chiaretto Rose
Beaulieu, Cabernet, Rutherford 1999
Picos del Montgo, Tempranillo 2008
Chateau de Montmirail, Vacqueyras 2008
La Granja 360, Syrah 2009
Montgras, Carmenere Reserva 2009
Lange, Pinot Gris 2009
Columbia Crest, Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet 2008
Kirkland, Pinot Grigio 2010
Trader Joe's Coastal Syrah 2009
Columbia Crest, Horse Heaven Hills Merlot 2008
Trader Joe's Coastal Chardonnay 2009
Vieux Papes Red
Domaine de l'Aujardiere, Chardonnay 2009
Santa Rita, Cabernet, Medalla Real 2007
Penfold's, Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2008
Guild, Red, Lot #02 2008
Dievole, Dievolino Sangiovese 2008
Laforet, Burgogne Chardonnay 2009
Columbia Winery, Merlot 2007
Bonterra, Cabernet 2008
Elk Cove, Pinot Gris 2009
Maquis Lien 2006
Scott Paul, Pinot Noir, Le Paulee 2007
The Occasional Book
Neil Young - Waging Heavy Peace
Mark Bego - Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul (2012 ed.)
Jenny Lawson - Let's Pretend This Never Happened
J.D. Salinger - Franny and Zooey
Charles Dickens - A Christmas Carol
Timothy Egan - The Big Burn
Deborah Eisenberg - Transactions in a Foreign Currency
Kurt Vonnegut Jr. - Slaughterhouse Five
Kathryn Lance - Pandora's Genes
Cheryl Strayed - Wild
Fyodor Dostoyevsky - The Brothers Karamazov
Jack London - The House of Pride, and Other Tales of Hawaii
Jack Walker - The Extraordinary Rendition of Vincent Dellamaria
Colum McCann - Let the Great World Spin
Niccolò Machiavelli - The Prince
Harper Lee - To Kill a Mockingbird
Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus - The Nanny Diaries
Brian Selznick - The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Sharon Creech - Walk Two Moons
Keith Richards - Life
F. Sionil Jose - Dusk
Natalie Babbitt - Tuck Everlasting
Justin Halpern - S#*t My Dad Says
Mark Herrmann - The Curmudgeon's Guide to Practicing Law
Barry Glassner - The Gospel of Food
Phil Stanford - The Peyton-Allan Files
Jesse Katz - The Opposite Field
Evelyn Waugh - Brideshead Revisited
J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
David Sedaris - Holidays on Ice
Donald Miller - A Million Miles in a Thousand Years
Mitch Albom - Have a Little Faith
C.S. Lewis - The Magician's Nephew
F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby
William Shakespeare - A Midsummer Night's Dream
Ivan Doig - Bucking the Sun
Penda Diakité - I Lost My Tooth in Africa
Grace Lin - The Year of the Rat
Oscar Hijuelos - Mr. Ives' Christmas
Madeline L'Engle - A Wrinkle in Time
Steven Hart - The Last Three Miles
David Sedaris - Me Talk Pretty One Day
Karen Armstrong - The Spiral Staircase
Charles Larson - The Portland Murders
Adrian Wojnarowski - The Miracle of St. Anthony
William H. Colby - Long Goodbye
Steven D. Stark - Meet the Beatles
Phil Stanford - Portland Confidential
Rick Moody - Garden State
Jonathan Schwartz - All in Good Time
David Sedaris - Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
Anthony Holden - Big Deal
Robert J. Spitzer - The Spirit of Leadership
James McManus - Positively Fifth Street
Jeff Noon - Vurt
Road Work
Miles run year to date: 21
At this date last year: 52
Total run in 2012: 129
In 2011: 113
In 2010: 125
In 2009: 67
In 2008: 28
In 2007: 113
In 2006: 100
In 2005: 149
In 2004: 204
In 2003: 269
Comments (11)
I hope they don't load up on donuts before the test- that will really mess up their blood sugar level...
Posted by Ralph Woods | February 2, 2012 11:36 AM
Oh, but look at how the mayor is spending his precious time: promoting important television about Northwest beers:
http://blog.oregonlive.com/portlandcityhall/2012/02/mayor_sam_adams_promotes_onlin.html
So...how long before he starts tweeting about autograph sessions, so you can touch his robe as he walks by?
Posted by Texas Triffid Ranch | February 2, 2012 11:40 AM
Sounds to me like one of those "let us make you better people" wellness kind of things a big brother city wanted in the contract, so the union bit. They should have had the foresight to go after perks or pay not so obviously abhorrent to the average taxpayer.
Posted by Gibby | February 2, 2012 11:43 AM
It would be interesting to see a room filled with the 77 cops who didn't take the blood test. I wonder how many of them would look like Mark McGwire or Barry Bonds in their "prime."
"Note takers?" Is that a typo? Don't they mean "negotiators?" That's like saying the Blazers need better fans, not better players.
Posted by observer | February 2, 2012 11:47 AM
Ha Ha Ha! The Portland Police Association (PPA), the police union, wins again! Like it always does!
The PPA is always prepared to outspend the City in prparing for "negotiations" by at least 10 to 1 and have the best of the best legal reps in interest arbitration, a process designed in favor of the unions in Oregon's collective bargaining law (originally written by Ted Kulongowski). The City knows this. Plus RandySam always want to give away the store anyway so folks like Ms. Deckard, try for change and hope for the best... And, always lose.
And just think - all those fake fitness premiums... they'll get factored into the City's unfunded Police Pension system.
Suck it up Portlanders. RandySam left you with a set of unparralleled labor contracts, unsustainable long term costs and no resources or expertise left to make any effective change. You elected giveaway scam artists and you will continue to repeat your errors by electing the next generation of scam artists.
Posted by retired ... and watching the show ... and laughing | February 2, 2012 12:40 PM
In my world, if you aren't able to do your job, you don't get to keep it.
Posted by snowdog | February 2, 2012 2:52 PM
observer--I was thinking that those 77 officers were simply dumb as posts for passing up all that money. Which of us is the more cynical one?
Posted by Michelle | February 2, 2012 4:11 PM
TTR: I'm no fan of Mayor Mcstreetcar, but what's wrong with recording a 20 second intro for a promotion for local business, even if it is incredibly cheesy? God forbid might help out one of our few growing manufacturing sectors.
Posted by styrofoamcup | February 2, 2012 5:00 PM
snowdog wrote:
In my world, if you aren't able to do your job, you don't get to keep it.
So true. I occasionally lose sleep over the ups and downs in my career. It must be nice not to ever worry!
In their world, if you dumped your motorcycle and claimed disability, then the board not only paid up, they actually discouraged you from trying to rehabilitate and come back.
It was a free ride all the way, until the crackdown. I came across a couple (as in they were an item) of PPB officers who retired quite early via this method, then promptly lit out for sunnier climes. They certainly weren't alone.
Even if this isn't done anymore, the general attitude is still there...
Posted by Downtown Denizen | February 3, 2012 12:21 AM
Doesn't anyone even TRY to look like they are competent and honorable anymore? Is this what being on the public dole does to a person? Once you lose the connection between effort and reward, then it becomes a free for all of takers and abusers. But if we (taxpayers) allow public employees to take advantage of us, then we have trained them to expect no resistance.
Posted by Nolo | February 3, 2012 12:54 AM
$739.00 extra pay to stick a finger, results in loosing 56 officer positions, how nice http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2012/02/portland_police_chief_submits_1.html
I'll stick my middle finger at the CoP.
Posted by phil | February 3, 2012 5:21 AM