Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009
Wamp criticized for union legislation
Chattanooga Times Free Press
U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., has taken some heat over his support of legislation that provides collective bargaining rights to police officers, firefighters and emergency medical workers.
Mark Mix, president of the National Right to Work Committee, sent Rep. Wamp a letter in late September, asking him to remove his name as a co-sponsor for the U.S. House resolution.
“If (the legislation) becomes law, Tennessee legislators would be forced to write state laws giving broad new powers to public safety union bosses over public safety employees in order to comply with the demands of the federal government,” Mr. Mix wrote.
Rep. Wamp, one of 163 of the resolution’s co-sponsors, said he understands the concerns raised in the letter, but the legislation does nothing to revoke Tennessee’s status as a right-to-work state. He said the resolution, which does not allow for strikes or work slowdowns, was originally written by U.S. Rep. John Duncan, R-Tenn.
“He calls it the bare-bones minimum of rights,” Rep. Wamp said. “This gives them the ability to share their grievances or express themselves.”
Jeff Eldridge, president of the Chattanooga Firefighters association, said he is glad Rep. Wamp is supporting the resolution. His union’s main goal is to be able to sit down and negotiate for things they need, he said.
Along with Reps. Wamp and Duncan, U.S. Rep. Lincoln Davis, D-Tenn.; U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon, D-Tenn., and U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., are signed on as co-sponsors of the resolution.
Rep. Wamp is running for Tennessee governor in next year’s gubernatorial election.
City Council Pledges To Restore Take-Home Cars
$400,000 Sought From Other Parts Of Budget
posted September 11, 2009
Chattanoogan.com
City Council members, during a lengthy budget session on Friday, agreed to eliminate a controversial plan to charge for take-home cars. Mayor Ron Littlefield said that could be
done if the council finds $400,000 elsewhere in the budget.
Council members said they will likely take $200,000 or more from funds that come from the red light cameras and traffic enforcement program. They will also look at additional possible cuts to supported agencies as well as looking closely at tightening up existing revenue sources.
City Police Chief Freeman Cooper had nixed an idea to exempt officers who live in the city from the policy. He said it should be imposed on everyone or not at all.
Chief Cooper also argued that the community benefits by having officers driving their cars while off duty and parking them out in neighborhoods at night. He said citizens are glad to see any officer in a patrol car "even if they are in a T-shirt, flip flops and boxer shorts."
Under an earlier executive order from the mayor, those with take-home cars were given the option to continue taking them home by paying $100 per month. Officers were to be charged $25 for using a car on a second job.
Councilman Manny Rico said, "We hit these guys all of a sudden. They should be aware that it could happen in the future, but we shouldn't do it now." Police officers had been up in arms since the order was issued. The president of the International Brotherhood of Police Officers flew in from Quincy, Mass., on the issue. The policy had been set to go into operation this weekend.
Chief Cooper said officers driving into work often make arrests, including two chiefs who recently stopped vehicles while in unmarked cars and while wearing suits.He said when there was a shooting at a bank in East Brainerd in 2002 and the first five officers on the scene were working nearby on second jobs. He said the robber was still in the bank when the officers arrived.
Council members discussed a crackdown on purchase of city stickers.
Mayor Littlefield said it had been "painful" to issue the take-home order, but he said the administration had little recourse. He said since the city was operating with less revenue than the previous year that there had been many other painful cuts. He said those included taking $60,000 from a scholarship program for needy youth and cutting the city employee longevity pay in half. He said he was surprised to find that the majority of police take-home cars are not parked in the city. He said many were spotted in areas that the city is planning to annex. Of 341 police take-home cars, 191 are parked out of the city. Mayor Littlefield said, "It bothers me that we have been subsidizing this. Get a free car, get free gas and live in Sale Creek."
Chief Cooper said he "realizes there is a cost" associated with providing the take-home cars, and he said he advised officers they did not take the job "to get a car or to get rich." However, he said the cars have been considered as a benefit.
Fire Chief Randy Parker said there are 28 take-home cars in his department. He said they are only assigned to those who need them on occasions after hours.
One option to help on the budget is to raise some development fees. However, Councilman Jack Benson said developers are already facing numerous fees in a down economy.
Councilman Peter Murphy said his top priority is funding a police academy, saying the department is already 40 officers down. The City Council will resume the budget discussion on Tuesday at 10 a.m. If the council does not finish the budget by the end of September, it will have to pass a new resolution granting a new extension. The budget approval requires readings at two meetings.