From the Editorial Board of The Sun: ... we must concede there will never be a good time to change Section 186. It is a political land mine in the middle of the charter and will remain so until voters remove it. Therefore, the board recommends a yes vote on Measure Q, which would amend charter Section 186 to allow city officials and public safety personnel to determine salaries the way every other city in California already does — through the collective bargaining process. Let’s pause a moment to fully appreciate this fact: Of the 482 cities in California — 121 of them governed by their own city charters — none of the others sets public safety salaries the way San Bernardino has been setting them for decades. In fact, no other employee group in the city of San Bernardino itself has its salaries determined the way public safety personnel do. The provision was added to the charter some decades back before collective bargaining was the law of the land. Back then, law enforcement workers were routinely underpaid and city leaders sought to provide parity. These days, however, public employees throughout California allow their union representatives to negotiate compensation with their employers. In San Bernardino, this process is used for negotiating benefits, such as pension contributions, for police and fire. Why isn’t it good enough for base pay? Measure Q opponents warn in a statement to voters that it will put our community at risk by jeopardizing public safety and reducing paramedic services. When pressed on these claims, a campaign spokesman said there are rumors the city will impose drastic cuts to pay if Section 186 is amended, forcing police and fire personnel to seek work elsewhere. This kind of conjecture is the worst form of manipulation, undermining sound decision-making by playing on community fears. The fact that public safety unions are putting up a fight to protect the section proves that it is a politicized piece of the charter. It’s past time for it to go.
Posted on: Sun, 02 Nov 2014 00:37:35 +0000
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