Layoff Notices To Be Rescinded TODAY!
CITY PRESS RELEASE
In a press release today City Chief Executive Officer Tom Hatch is quoted as saying in a letter to employees, "I know this period has been difficult for you, your department and the City, and I appreciate your professionalism through it all. We still have significant budget challenges ahead, but we will work through them together. I hope you, your family and friends have a peaceful and safe holiday season." The press release went on to say, "The City has asked the Costa Mesa City Employees' Association to dismiss the lawsuit it filed to prevent outsourcing and related layoffs. It is the City's hope that the lawsuit can be dropped without going back to court and incurring additional legal costs." 
You will recall that following the recent election in which he remained in power, Mayor Jim Righeimer announced his intent to have this happen and hopes to begin negotiating with the employee associations without the cloud of layoff notices hanging over their heads toward possible resolution of issues he feels are critical to the fiscal well-being of The City.
THAT FATEFUL DAY
During the ensuing months staffers have left, a lawsuit was filed by the employees to protect their rights and vitriol filled the air during council meetings. Grassroots organizations were formed on both sides of the issue and the tension within City Hall was palpable.
BERARDINO CALLS FOR HARMONY
"The nation has been watching Costa Mesa and unfortunately, what they've seen these past two years has been devastating.
Now that we have their attention, my hope is that we can show everyone that collaborating together, respecting each other, and working in a way that promotes peace and harmony is much more effective than fighting.
And isn't that what the holidays are all about?"
We join Berardino in his hope for harmony and a spirit of collaboration and cooperation as we move forward. We view this with guarded enthusiasm since Righeimer's comments at the last council meeting seemed to hedge his bet. We will know soon enough. Today, as the affected employees receive this wonderful news, the following video clip seems to be perfectly appropriate.
Labels: Jim Righeimer, Layoffs, Nick Berardino, outsourcing, Tom Hatch
posted by The Pot Stirrer at 12/18/2012 09:29:00 AM
19 Comments:
This City and it's "Leadership" is a complete joke. They realize that the layoff notices were a bad idea and that they screwed up in giving them out, and now decide to take them all back and then have the stones to ask the employee association to drop the lawsuit.
Keep the lawsuit in effect and win what you deserve. This City will try to screw the employees and residents in another way, and then another way if that doesn't work.
Is it possible they are asking them to drop the lawsuit, and then come right back with layoffs? Cynicism is draining me!
I agree, keep the lawsuit. You can't toy with other families lives consequence free like this. The council needs to pay for it's mistakes. You can't have a screw up and ask for a do over, this isn't golf.
The City will use this against the employee group.
City--"look we took back the layoff notices and they still won't drop the lawsuit. We are the good guys, it's the evil unions that won't work with us and want to continue on with the lawsuit."
Let's do what Riggy asks.
The council doesn't pay, the residents of Costa Mesa do. The lawsuit is now moot and should be dropped. If it isn't, we'll know what is really in the hearts of the OCEA and CMCEA.
The notices were rescinded because they were of no further use to Righeimer, Mensinger and Monahan. They should be regarded as having given the employees nothing, requiring nothing in return.
This may be the best time to have serious, comprehensive settlement talks. If the lawsuit is dismissed, the employees will have lost their injunction and their best bargaining chip. I hope they won't give it all up for nothing in return.
No way should the Employee Association drop the lawsuit, that's ridiculous!
Perhaps there is an opening in the Maintenance Dept for a union thug.
Billy might be getting lonley without his union thug buddy.
Troll:
"Perhaps there is an opening in the Maintenance Dept for a union thug.
Billy might be getting lonley without his union thug buddy."
Is this an underemployed Fitzy posting?
Did he resolve those "home issues" yet?
RIGhiemer should be sued by the city for every last penny he has cost us because of the lawsuit brought about by his big idea to send out the layoff notices in spite of knowing that the city would be sued by the employees association. Not doubt he wanted that to happen so he could vilify them as union thugs. He should be held personally responsible and liable for this, because he did this solely for his own personal and political gains. The family of Tran Pham should sue him too.
This holiday season contract City Attorney Duarte should be issued a piece of coal wrapped with a pink-slip for his inept counsel regarding the layoffs. And former contract City Atty. Kim Barlow, whom was right all along, deserves a pretty pink slip from Victoria's Secret...
Hey Sessler, are you going to shut this blog down for saying mean things about the loves of your life? YOU want to suppress free speech here too? What is that annoying noise you hear in your ear? Oh, it’s nothing important, it’s just the first amendment ringing out loud and clear. Aren’t you going to chastise your buddies for bullying and threatening people on this blog? No? Why not, you whiny chickenpoop hypocrite? I mean that in the nicest way, of course.
I love the city's approach -- we'll ramrod this outsourcing plan through without regard for existing contracts, council policy or law; then when the employees challenge our ineptness we, as the council, will cry foul. The council will get its hat handed to them 9 times in court, going all the way to the State Supreme Court, then finally decide to pull back the layoff notices and ask to have the lawsuit pulled. Nice stones boys! Riggy, Mensy, you guys love football -- would you let your opponent get up off the ground and back into the game? Or would you drive through to the finish?
Where was Hatch standing up for the employees while the council led the employees like lambs to a slaughter? Hatch praises the employees for their professionalism when in reality if the employee associations hadn't stood up to the City in court every single job would have been outsourced regardless if there were savings or not.
CouncilMEN and Hatch, you can't spend two years bashing employees, threatening their income, their retirement plan and their future medical benefits then expect it all to go away with the wave of a piece of paper. I watched the videos of the CouncilMEN admonishing Nenadel to "go fix the a/c in Hatch's office" and for her to "control her employees"; now you want to play nice? Personally I think they should let the lawsuit run its course. The $500/hour lawyers have repeatedly asked for their day in court, let them have it; hope the employees go 10-0. That is the goal right Mensy and Riggy? An undefeated season?
ADR, what am I missing here? You referred to Sesler, yet he has not commented here... help me out..
Level ... You are absolutely spot on! These "men" should be hung out to dry. The employees association should take finish the job!! It is incredible (well with these cc thugs, not really) they can create and cause enormous problems like this yet expect the employees association to roll over yet again - and expect the CM citizens to buy into this "olive branch." You watch what happens when the association won't drop the suit. The RIGmeister will be calling press conferences and going on talk radio to trash them some more. How anyone could support these morons is beyond me.
There is nothing to celebrate until the public union labor monopoly accepts a Social Security type of retirement plan: 1.4% at 67.
I've been gone for a few and yet nothing has changed... sheeeesh.
Think BIG picture. Rig doesn't give a RAT's patooty about the EmpAss... his end game is a Charter.
Play nice/nice and get his Charter passed. Dale Carneige 101... "How to win friends and influence people".
If the people of CM don't start thinking farther down the road, they are going to get run over by the RigMasMon express... again!
Both employees and residents need to know that NOTHING is over. The City and the entire 5th floor along with the councilmen who were responsible for the pinkslips need to learn a lesson.
Don't think for a second that they won't try something like this again.
It is my hope that the association does not simply drop the lawsuit. The court has do something, draft something and ultimately tell City to never ever do something like this again.
We've lost so many good people, suffered a death of a friend, suffered personal health issues both mentally and physically...
Don't let them fool you, now that we've got their attention, it's time to turn up the heat, not throw in the towel and make nice.
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