Why this City needs Arbitration.
MORGAN ON ARBITRATION
It's on the ballot. It's Measure A -- the Police and Fire Arbitration measure. It's a meaningful vote (as opposed to the meaningless nonsense of Measure B). I support Measure A.
ARBITRATION -- WHO NEEDS IT?
Unfortunately, Monterey needs it. Twenty years of increasingly bitter, nasty, and one-sided pettiness towards the Police Officers and Firefighters of this town by the City administration have led to this. It's time to change the way our town deals with Public Safety officers. That's why the Police Officers and Fire Fighters went out and got thousands of signatures to put Measure A on the ballot -- over the opposition of the mayor.
Here's how it works.
Under California law, cities and Public Safety officers negotiate for wages, benefits, and the "terms and conditions of employment." Both sides are supposed to negotiate in good faith, agree on wages, talk about those "terms and conditions", and, ultimately, reach an agreement. Everybody gives a little, everybody postures a few times, everybody struts a little, everybody agonizes, and it all works out. Everybody's working toward the same goal, everybody is part of the community. And the citizens are well-served. We have labor peace, we respect each other, and when our house is on fire or a burglar breaks in, we can call 911 and the officers respond, risking their lives for us, knowing that they are being treated fairly by the city.
Except in Monterey. In Monterey, the negotiations break down. The City sets it up as "Us versus Them," doesn't negotiate fairly, and breaks up the negotiations by imposing the City's version of the contract. The City gets to be one of the wrestlers, while being the Referee at the same time. It's not cooperative, it's not fair, and it's not respectful.
In Monterey negotiations, Police officers are treated poorly. Firefighters are treated poorly. The City says that THE CITY decides what is best for Police and Fire, and what the Police and Fire are entitled to be paid, what their shifts are, what their terms and conditions are, and everything else.
WE DO.
So what's the solution? BOTH sides negotiate in good faith. The Police negotiate in good faith. The Firefighters negotiate in good faith. The City negotiates in good faith, too. And, yes, there is a way to make sure it happens that way. It's called ARBITRATION.
Because if one side isn't being fair, professional arbitrators are called in. They are experts who are trained to see the big picture, to sort through the fertilizer, and to get to the solution. They are the professional referees. They look out for all of Us. Our City, our Police, our Fire Fighters. Because it's not about Us versus Them. It's not about taking advantage of Public Safety officers. It's about working together -- like they do in Salinas, Watsonville, Gilroy, San Jose, Santa Cruz, San Luis Obispo, Palo Alto, Redwood City, San Francisco, Hayward, Oakland, San Leandro, Napa, Vallejo, Santa Rosa, Stockton, Modesto, Sacramento, Petaluma, and Anaheim.
Arbitration means fairness for those who risk their lives for us.
So I'm voting Yes on Measure A. Because our Public Safety officers are part of Us.
Vote November 5, 2002
MORGAN FOR MAYOR
498 Washington St., Monterey CA 93940
MorganForMayor.org
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