Two weeks ago, Northampton County Council member Ken Kraft ended the biweekly meeting by lashing out at Council President Lori Vargo Heffner for a taxpayer-funded junket to Tampa Florida for annual convention of the National Association of Counties. Last night, he started the meeting by attacking the "gaggle", as he called them of unionized corrections officers who appeared and complained at the last meeting.
This is interesting because Kraft was himself a business manager for the painters' union and is someone who historically has been very pro-union. He also spent five years as an administrator at the jail.
Kraft stated that corrections officers complained two weeks ago that their contracts are unfair and they haven't gotten steps (steps are 4.5% increases in the payscale). "So long as I've been involved in the prison, if they would have taken the contracts that they were offered and not went to [binding] arbitration, they would have been at least four or five steps higher than they are. Every contract they were offered pretty good terms and they voted them down. Their union representative told them not to take the terms, let's go to arbitration, and then they get like a quarter an hour or something. Then they come back to the next contract and say, 'oh all we got was a quarter an hour.' You did it to yourselves. So I just want everybody to know you had that sob story about somebody who has been there forever and step whatever, well they would have been at least four or five steps higher if they had taken the contracts that were offered in the last seven years - the last three contracts. I just want to let that be known."
Kraft's broadside drew a response from Council member John Goffredo, which was also interesting because he is no fan of unions.
Goffredo defended the gripes of unionized corrections officers. He said they told him they could go to Lehigh County and get paid more, but Kraft called that an "anomaly" because Lehigh charges more for health care.
At this point the two began speaking to each other at the same time with neither listening to what the other said. Unfortunately, they remained civil.
I'd say more but I wasn't listening.
22 comments:
I still don't understand how they do steps in Northampton County. Seems very different from when I worked in Lehigh County.
BO, you know that Kraft is the part of the McClure administration that happens to be on council. He is the leader of the little three. Kraft is the top McClure apologist.
They ain’t going to Lehigh. Then they wouldn’t get off every other weekend. Lehigh doesnt get every other weekend off.
Goffredo should stick to refusing to feed residents at Gracedale. The 7 foot tall JSK explained the Sodexo situation at the Fiscal meeting.
Union definition - A group of malcontents that sole purpose in life is to whine.
I'd rather have a sister in a whore house than a brother in a union.
Sounds like they should’ve signed the contract. And of course Goffredo would be contrary. He has a problem with everything.
J.P. Goffredo should stick to sharing bigotry on his Twitter account.
Kraft is bought and paid for by McClueless.
Kraft works for the administration. He went native, long ago. He views himself as Lamont's heir apparent and likely has assurances. Also, coming from a trade union, he despises public service unions, as many trade laborers do. Trade unions overwhelmingly support Trump. Public service unions (with the exception of cops and firefighters) overwhelmingly support Harris because they have nowhere else to go.
This left wing democratic blog is like the View it should be abolished.
You can't apologize for the Truth, tell the Union Reps to stop lying
This Kraft guy. Geesh. Meeting after meeting he's the biggest asshole of the bunch.
To each their own.
Why is telling the truth being an asshole? Why is questioning illegal spending for vacations being an asshole? Kraft is only bringing to light what you do not want to see.
You made this comment a few days ago. By the way, how is your sister ?
All Kraft did when he worked at the prison was collect a paycheck and act like a big shot. He should give the money back to the taxpayers for doing nothing.
Pictures speak a thousand words. Ask to see any of the pictures (we know how he liked forwarding those to you) taken when Kraft's cake job at the jail was ripped from beneath him because McClure needed a rubberstamp on County Council. The transition of Kraft stepping away from the politically gifted, no accountability, made-up position of Public Safety Admin. was met with Kraft looking like a petulant child in handing the keys to the next guy. Anything Kraft says about the Prison employees is expected to be untrue and biased. He couldn't name more than 5% of the work force there. I trust his deceit is not taken to serious anywhere, let alone in Council Chambers.
John Paul Goffredo had all the chops to be the future of the Norco GOP. And, then he went on X and called gay people groomers.
6:49 When can I meet your sister?
The COs should agree to change the schedule for the steps. Kraft (and Heckman) should not be able to collect a county pension and Council salary at the same time. It's double dipping.
Off topic but any input on the Dean Browning/LCRC/Mark Pinsley lawsuit?
https://www.mcall.com/2024/09/19/former-county-commissioner-named-in-defamation-lawsuit-from-lehigh-county-controller/
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