I have been an employee of the City of LA for 38.5 years. yesterday, we got yet ANOTHER note from our HR Director, indicating the LA Times plans another "exposè" on our salaries. Apparently every year at Election Time, the Editors of local papers look to see what City folk are making. After all, we are all grossly overpaid. If I were writing about City "employees" I would be more concerned about elected officials who take campaign contributions from special interest groups, than some poor schlub who is asked to work overtime because the Department is "saving money" by not hiring enough employees to fill the gaps. The theory that by not filling positions the Department saves money is just one more issue I have with the City's Business Plan. It is less about getting the best out of everyone and more about the Bottom Line. Burn out a good worker? No problem, there are more where they came from. We don't encourage anyone to think outside the box if we are working them to death, It is hard to streamline your workload when just keeping up is all you can do. It's like the old "Lucy" show where she is working the line at a chocolate factory and once they think she has the hang of it, they speed it up- to the point where she just melts down.
I was talking with someone about how I feel as a City employee. I don't think I work for the City, but for the people of the City of LA. I try my best. Sure I am well paid, but you get a full days pay- and then some- out of me. I don't worry about it much, until some reporter decides we are all lazy bums, sucking on the public teat, so to speak. What we do- all of us- for the City is vital and keeps it moving. The move to privatize to "save money" will not work. Ultimately, you will create a situation where there is more graft, as those remaining City Fathers who will dole out the contracts to businesses competing for the prize become "for sale". Absolute power corrupts absolutely, doesn't it?
I was still at the Library when that first piece came out in the Valley News (what is it now?)(a rag!) and it was humiliating and embarasing! A friend/colleague said to me, "I don't need my mother to know what I make!
ReplyDelete" Because one could look it up by our name - with our Socials at that time - talk about identity theft and invasion of privacy. Interestingly enough, that time, the top Library folk were NOT included - so no one knew about the salaries of the folks who made the absolute most! It has always galled me to hear people say we don't deserve our pensions - hey, man, I started paying into that after I had worked there two weeks! That is MY money! I could have made a lot more had I been allowed to invest it privately. Well, I need to stop, or I will start ranting and raving - even more, I mean! BAH! You know what? Next time, recall that YEARS and YEARS go by when we gt NO raise. AND - next time you go into a library - fidn the damn books yourself. THEN come and bitch! Tom