Today's one-liner: "The shortest way to the distinguishing excellence of any writer is through his hostile critics." Richard LeGallienne
Bethlehem City Council voted unanimously last night to beef up overtime for firefighters from $240k to $260k. Business Manager Eric Evans, who made the request, explained that the City's 102 smoke-jumpers have already burned through 1,023 sick days by the end of July. In 2019, they used only 651 sick days. In 2020, it was only 706.
Is this a coincidence or is it a response to the City's refusal to fill two firefighter positions in last year's budget?
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Typical of government workers?
ReplyDeleteMaybe it is mismanaged funds and someone has to blame it on someone or something. Just an idea.
Deletelets spend more money on the useless money pit golf course....lol they have an overpaid manager that plays golf 5 times a week no rangers and no management what soever but yet we pay these people...when your house in in fire call the golf course..
ReplyDeleteDon't they EARN sick days?
ReplyDeleteDid someone have catastrophic illness and others donated time to them?
Guess Lil' Willy needs to blame someone during contract negotiations
This is the cyclical history in Bethlehem and other municipalities. Police and fire OT gets out of control over a period of years, it is then negotiated back to a reduced level under a strained spirit of good faith and then it creeps up again to an abusive level. It's a case of either the fire fighters following an open and notorious strategy without consequence or Bethlehem's fire fighters suffering the unfortunate circumstance of being the most debilitated sickest employee group of all public and private employers in the city. You decide. The loss of 2 fire fighters will be offered as a cause (expect to hear this from council members with strong union ties) but the truth is any excuse and no excuse has always sufficed for the cyclical increase in sick days. A sense of weakness in administrative control can be a major factor in encouraging abuse and is just as likely a factor here as the pretext loss of 2 fire fighters, but that would never be acknowledged by either side. It'll surprise no one if there are 2 new fire fighter hires proposed in the 2023 budget and the cycle is thus primed to renew.
ReplyDeleteBethlehem cops and fire fighters have been playing the sick/OT game for decades Look at the stats and see who are the highest paid employees each year. Give them 2 more and the scam will continue.
ReplyDeleteWhy doesn’t somebody ask the city for a breakdown of these days? Not known to many, but there are 3 categories of sick time that can be used. 1. Sick Time, meaning you have something as little as a cold, preventing you from reporting for duty. 2. Injured Time, meaning that you have an injury that is preventing you from reporting for duty. This could be something like a sprain, muscle pull, broken bone, etc. 3. Family Sick Time, meaning someone in your household, child of spouse, is sick and is in need of your care, whether that be tending to them at home, or taking them to the doctor or hospital.
ReplyDeleteNow, out of those 1,023 “sick” days throughout July, what the city will fail to mention is the significant amount of firefighters who are off long term for injuries that require extensive rehab, or surgery. Many of these injuries occurred while on duty. These 1,023 days are not all (not even close to) from the firefighter who wakes up in the morning before their shift with a cold or illness, and needs to take 2, 3, 4 days off to get better. Those sick days can add up a lot lower and closer to the numbers in years past. We are talking about firefighters who are off for months at a time, while they rehab from an injury or surgery. If you were to say 5 firefighters are off injured for 3 consecutive months, that alone is nearly 250 days. Over 80 days each month.
Is it fair to lump the long term injuries in with the 1-4 days occurrences for a cold? I don’t think it’s fair, but I guess it’s all about perspective.
Also, concerning overtime, can we assume that the city has also failed to mention that the department went from manpower of around 112 down to 104? This number is due to cutting 4 positions through attrition, and also retirements that have not been filled by hiring. If you’re expected to have a bare minimum amount of firefighters on duty to keep the city safe, but you’re manpower has significantly dropped due to not hiring, I find it hard to believe that sick time is the root cause of this overtime.
But then again, it’s always the “greedy” firefighters at fault, the ones who show up to your emergencies no matter what.
Why doesn’t somebody ask the city for a breakdown of these days? Not known to many, but there are 3 categories of sick time that can be used. 1. Sick Time, meaning you have something as little as a cold, preventing you from reporting for duty. 2. Injured Time, meaning that you have an injury that is preventing you from reporting for duty. This could be something like a sprain, muscle pull, broken bone, etc. 3. Family Sick Time, meaning someone in your household, child of spouse, is sick and is in need of your care, whether that be tending to them at home, or taking them to the doctor or hospital.
ReplyDeleteNow, out of those 1,023 “sick” days throughout July, what the city will fail to mention is the significant amount of firefighters who are off long term for injuries that require extensive rehab, or surgery. Many of these injuries occurred while on duty. These 1,023 days are not all (not even close to) from the firefighter who wakes up in the morning before their shift with a cold or illness, and needs to take 2, 3, 4 days off to get better. Those sick days can add up a lot lower and closer to the numbers in years past. We are talking about firefighters who are off for months at a time, while they rehab from an injury or surgery. If you were to say 5 firefighters are off injured for 3 consecutive months, that alone is nearly 250 days. Over 80 days each month.
Is it fair to lump the long term injuries in with the 1-4 days occurrences for a cold? I don’t think it’s fair, but I guess it’s all about perspective.
Also, concerning overtime, can we assume that the city has also failed to mention that the department went from manpower of around 112 down to 104? This number is due to cutting 4 positions through attrition, and also retirements that have not been filled by hiring. If you’re expected to have a bare minimum amount of firefighters on duty to keep the city safe, but you’re manpower has significantly dropped due to not hiring, I find it hard to believe that sick time is the root cause of this overtime.
But then again, it’s always the “greedy” firefighters at fault, the ones who show up to your emergencies no matter what.
Typical of government workers?
ReplyDeleteSpoken like a "true Fascist"
Can you spell S C A M?
ReplyDeleteHow is it a scam when the sick days are accumulated?
DeleteI've always had a vision of firefighters as our strongest and bravest. Bethlehem's firefighters seem pathetically sickly and weak. Standards are shot anymore. Hire anybody who can fog a mirror and actually show up.
ReplyDeleteJust to be clear, I have a very high opinion of firefighters. I consider theirs the most dangerous of all city jobs. It takes a special kind of person to go into a burning building to make sure everyone is out. Yes, there are instances of OT and sick time abuse, but most opf the firefighters I've met are dedicated professionals.
ReplyDeleteChief Achey had planned on eliminating 4 positions through attrition, not 2. The fire dept is currently down more than those planned 4 positions, and there are more known retirements coming in the next year. Through mismanagement of fire dept administration, there is currently no active list to hire from.
ReplyDeleteAn actual analysis of the 1023 sick days would reveal that numerous people were/are off long-term due to surgeries and illnesses (Multiple people off for multiple months at a time - some over a year). These sick days are EARNED through service time and accumulated to be used for that exact purpose.
Also, how many of these 1023 sick days are COVID related. I'm sure city administration would be slow to share that any COVID related sick time gets reimbursed by the federal government.
What is a more likely story? The firefighters are running a scheme to double the use of sick time and hope no one notices; or the firefighters are being used as scapegoats and an excuse to cover the mismanagement by city and dept administration?
We all should be very thankful for our police and firefighters...their jobs are very difficult and they put their lives on the line daily for all of us. If overtime is needed it's needed for a reason And position cuts are often a cause as are open positions and certainly sick time. Let us not also forget COVID contributed to lots more sick time in all industry due to mandatory days off to prevent the spread. The few that take the overtime to help are then criticized for abusing the system. Fact is they're needed and if they make a lot of money we should thank them for protecting us! It's no different than health care where a few take the extra shifts and then are on a list for making too much money. Be happy someone will take the shifts. Or be a better manager and make sure you have the positions to cover the average vacation, sick and open positions numbers. Most want some overtime as it saves on benefits associated with more FT positions. Bottom line be grateful they are here to protect us all and if you want become a firefighter to help out!
ReplyDeleteI'm not thankful for any so-called professionals who are either weak and pathetic, or are scamming the system (read: us, the taxpayers). Eff right off. I respect people who perform at 100% and don't steal time from their bosses.
ReplyDeleteAnd what about bosses who steal time from the employer, or their boss? Or does that not exist?
DeleteAnyone who steals. Your whataboutism betrays you as a thief.
DeleteToo late. You said anyone who steals time from their bosses. You lose. I win.
DeleteAbsolutely a scam. Easton and Allentown fire unions play the same game. 80%+ show up and work hard and dedicated to their city. They are to be commended! But 20% of the them are slugs. Always the union leadership leading the parade. Excuses and nonsense from them (almost all township residents) cost taxpayers whaaay too much they think are bottomless pits. Thank goodness police don't play same games. They don't have the endless downtime fire houses have to cook up scams.
ReplyDelete4:48 no problem for those that are filling the shifts. (Unless they are in on the game?) HUGE problem for 1,000s sick days. Y'all find it odd that during covid shutdowns the sick days dropped? Now open again to go do stuff and suddenly they are sick and hurt? Wha?? Huh?? Public works and police positions much much more physical no doubt. Maybe we are supposed to play stupid and ignore this nonsense? FYI Hats off to the union dudes working so hard with their long and dramatic explanations hahaha give us a break.
ReplyDeleteUh did you ever think that because of shutdowns they were not out and about just like most other people?
DeleteNo covid in 2019 so you can not compare 2020 sick leave to it. Before vaccines you had to quarantine even if exposed and not ill. If a family member was ill you also had to quarantine.
ReplyDeleteThere were no therapeutics then. Covid was much deadlier and hospitals were full. Firefighters also had protect the public they served from covid and risked catching it on every call. They should be rewarded an overtime pay is not a reward but honestly earned
Sounds like a good project for someone who likes to crunch numbers. Maybe Mr. Thode (sp?) could break some of these numbers down. Otherwise we are throwing darts in the dark. At face value this amount of sick days used does raise suspicion.
ReplyDeleteI find it funny how quickly the ALT-right will turn on first responders when taking time-off is weaponized against them. I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again, MAGA republicans are the enemy of the working class. If you vote red, you should be a millionaire because if you’re not, you’re just a tool used by the elite rich to vote against your own interest.
ReplyDeleteI'm a proud Republican and grateful for all firefighters. As for the rich..... seriously. Are you saying the Democrats aren't rich? Thanks for the laugh
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