Tom Tosti is the AFSCME union boss for 13,000 people, from Philly to Northampton County. At last week's County Council meeting, he stepped to the podium, and made a pitch for saving "Gracedale Hospital."Express Times Editor Joe Owens, who was present for the Tosti tale, was unimpressed. "Those who favor county ownership will have you believe the new owners will roll Aunt Sophie out onto Route 248 the day they take over," he snarks.
Despite Council President John Cusick's best attempts to prevent discussion of the most important issue to face the County in a generation, Ron Angle still confronted Tosti over his union's refusal to negotiate $6 million in givebacks, as well as an unwillingness to allow members to vote on these concessions.
"That wasn't something that we normally would vote on," answered Tosti.
"If you want us to keep it, what are you willing to kick in," asked Angle, who added that benefits for the staff at Gracedale are 68% of their salaries.
Tosti would only say he was willing to sit down.
"I want to know why you did not allow your union members to vote on that proposal," insisted Angle.
Tosti tried to answer that union members wanted no vote, although some in the audience seemed to disagree.
Angle: "I challenge you today. You get me the 6% [he meant $6 million] for two years, and I'll change my vote. Now you go get me the 6% [i.e. $6 million]."
Tosti: "Will you sit back at the table with us?"
(Cusick begins banging his new gavel).
Angle: "I called your boy Justus James three times and he won't return my call."
Between bangs of Cusick's gavel, Tosti explained that sub-union boss Justus James is on leave.
Last time Angle sat at a table with AFSCME, they brought in a giant inflatable rat and walked out.
Cusick is gonna' need a bigger gavel.
15 comments:
I HOPE ANGLE DOESN'T END UP LIKE JIMMY HOFFA
God Bless you Sir. I hope next time you challenge Ron Angle on his willingness to negotiate.
Ask him if you hire a real and "independent" consultant to review the Gracedale numbers and you will use that figure as a negotiating point. Will he still be willing to talk.
Angle and Stoffa keep throwing the already dis-proven and discredited $6 mullion number around.
Tell Angle when he gets honest(yikes) about the numbers you will gladly sit down and talk.
This has been a cluster f@#k from day one.
The most corrupt action in Northampton County history. The vendor phone calls, meetings, numbers. The entire political game was disgusting.
What you are doing right now is playing a political game. You're right. It is disgusting.
"Ask him if you hire a real and "independent" consultant to review the Gracedale numbers and you will use that figure as a negotiating point. Will he still be willing to talk."
Seems like a valid request considering what is at stake. I am not sure they will ask for it, let alone that the County will go for it.
The County already hired a real and "independent" consultant, paying $18,000 for a study that recommended sale. That study, derided by McClure and his ilk, has proven to be astonishingly accurate, right down to the value of the nursing home.
What is at stake, first and foremost, is patient care. The County can no longer do that as effectively as can be done in the private sector.
The union had ample opportunity to talk. It chose instead to cart residents to Gracedale in wheelchairs and bring a gant inflatable rat.
"patient care" is not the foremost thing in your mind, Angles mind or Stoffa's. You and your camp followers can repeat that lie over and over but you are the only ones buying it.
The public hasn't bought into that nonsense. Even some who favor a sale for tax consideration or to break the union know damn well this has nothing to do with patient care. Since the patients are receiving great care now.
You have no idea what is going on in anyone's mind. The first and foremost consideration is patient care, followed by indigent protection, followed by the workforce, followed by the taxpayer.
Private homes are eligible for many more federal grants, funds, etc. than county owned under the new laws. This is one of the primary reasons many homes are privatized.
"Angle and Stoffa keep throwing the already dis-proven and discredited $6 mullion number around."
Where has this been disproven and discredited?
Bill Coker, you are wrong on that one.
"Bill Coker, you are wrong on that one."
Show me how and where, please.
Mr. Coker, with all due respect, exactly what grants can a private home get that a County facility does not?
I realize you drink the O'Hare kool-aid but it doesn't make it true.
Bernie's continually repeating the silly $18,00 study paid to produce a specific result, doesn't make it true. Members of the oversight committee have admitted that when the company mentioned third party management they were told by the Administration that option was off the table.
The Administration got exactly what they paid for and then some.
This has been the best political con seen in the Lehigh Valley in decades. Pol's from both parties have been talking about how slick Stoffa handled this one.
Political Life
The consultant presented 3 options and a new management was one of those options. But the best option, as per the report, is a sale. You can bray on about what was really intended, but it is what it is.
So if Angle is truly sincere, he would not oppose a third party's review of the information by the Administration.
If in fact the union and families hires an "independent" firm to review the facts, they should come up with exactly the same results as the $18,000 firm. Let us not forget the other firms said it would cost three times that amount to do a real study. The bargain basement offer for an opinion study took all of 45 days. They used the worst case scenario as a baseline and project out ten years.
Yes, there is plenty to question. But what harm can be done by another opinion, unless of course another opinion could rock the boat.
As someone high up in the Administration was heard to say before the study was even completed, Gracedale is history. In life the winners always get to write the history. That is what has happened here.
Truth over Words!
God Bless you Sir!!
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