Fire 560 DMV State Workers Now!
How can 560 employees refuse to show up for work and still keep their jobs in the midst of a great recession?
Your answer: only inside of the most protected class of elitist, self-centered workforce in America - the purple-shirted state workers of the SEIU.
Due to the fact they were willing to be counted and interviewed, 560 state works for the California DMV decided that February’s emergency budget legislation was “unfair” in removing two paid holidays with Lincoln’s Birthday and Columbus Day, so they went ahead and took their Columbus Monday off in protest.
“Screw you, we’re government, we do what we want!”
The only point they really proved is that they should be standing in an unemployment line today, rather than greeting today’s long line at their respective DMV outlet.
These lazy, self-centered and pampered employees of the purple-shirted SEIU are a disgrace, they should be terminated by the Executive Office of California.
Can anyone say ‘air traffic controllers’?
That may bring laughter; consider today’s headline news that you may be directed to go to your local DMV to obtain your mandated government health care; the criminal, unethical behavior of the 560 is even more egregious.
While hundreds of private sector, tax paying citizens had scheduled appointments to pay their February determined increase for a vehicle license fee – in order for them to drive to work, pick up their kids and continue the real fuel of California’s economic engine – ignorant SEIU union pawns refused them service them during this time.
These ignorant DMV workers need to be educated; it’s the private sector that is the oil for this state’s economic engine. If the private sector isn’t healthy, there is no health to be had.
To treat the private sector’s pre-scheduled DMV appointments as ‘tools of protest’ is criminal. Listen to one of the Sacramento purple shirts describe her terrible plight:
The state should wave all VFL’s that were refused on Monday due to workers not reporting to work, and then bill the rich, deep pockets of the SEIU those state fees lost over the display.
The problem continues to be that SEIU workers don’t understand who they really work for; the citizens of this state by way of an elected government, determined to be necessary by the citizens of the state. If it isn’t necessary, profitable or even determined to be desired, it gets cut.
It is as simply as that, or it should be.
Government should not be in the business of creating, protecting and securing jobs. The state workers positions are only deemed relevant if, and when, the citizens and the economy dictate such. If you can’t fill the determined rosters, then you can offer the benefits, raises and pensions so to attract workers to fill the jobs.
But in a recession that features a growing unemployment sector, we have millions who want these jobs. State workers need to have an attitude adjustment, they need to understand that they work at the benefit of the private sector’s health and need. If the economy isn’t driving revenue for the services the people desire – and the people are fine with that – so be it.
Government jobs are not careers. Government employment is not ‘recession-proof employment’. Government jobs are service jobs. If, and when, that service is not desired, cannot be financially supported, or is determined to be unnecessary by the people of the state, these jobs are reduced, removed and the departments they staff are reconstructed.
These lazy workers believe they have a beef because of a contractual clause.
The gripe is a fabrication from the union bosses within the SEIU and their rich lawyers. They believe they should be given these two holidays off – with pay – because they are operating without a signed and renewed contract, referencing a clause that states, ’when a contract is not renewed it refers back to the previous years content’.
Hello; we had a $38 billion deficit in February, the private sector gave $12 billion in taxes and you are complaining that you have three furlough days and you have lost two paid holidays. Your attitude should be made of gratitude, you could be a portion of the 12-percent of the private sector without a job altogether.
But I digress, you have a union making your arguments for you. How can I expect you to have an ethic in this recession.
In essence, the SEIU and the DMV workers believe the $12 billion February tax increases on the private sector are lawful, enforced and punishable by law, but the reduction of two holidays for the union workers is not.
Typical attitude; screw the private sector.
When it comes to the elite corp of SEIU, they’re not members of a community in an economy crisis, nor bound by ethics, moral decency and law. They are government workers, above all of that economic responsibility and common care for the well-beng of the state.
Folks, it’s past time to make examples of these 560 workers – Arnold, fire them!
Find 560 unemployed citizens who want to go to work and service their fellow citizens of the state. people who will be happy to report to the DMV office on a Monday, learn their service employment positions and treat them as they should; a privileged.
And this “we have a contract” rhetoric; I dare you to try that in the private sector recession.
How many businesses have gone bankrupt due to “contracts” that cannot be fulfilled due to the lack of money? Can these individuals claim “unfair” and still get a contract payment?
Thousands, upon thousands of workers, owners, co-owners and employees are out of work today, because somebody couldn’t honor a contract – because the money ran out. And they can’t go out and write a law that puts a gun to some one’s head and makes them pay like government can, and did in February.
Get your lazy butts to work, or you’re fired!
The SEIU defends and then replies that they would bring a lawsuit over any termination. Great!
I think the people of California would love to watch high paid legals argue over two paid holidays in the midst of 12-percent unemployment, record foreclosures, loss of private sector jobs and the ever growing threat of this recession’s lingering virus called inflation.
SEIU, go ahead and make my day!
Look, you lost two paid holidays (Lincoln’s Birthday and Columbus’ Day), you have 12 more to use.
Yes, you have been cut by three furlough days, but you still have a job.
There is no money, we are in a huge deficit partly due to your unions’ greed and the ridiculous public employee benefits and guaranteed pensions contracts.
What is the Governor waiting for, make some headlines Arnold, you love that stuff. Stand up and be an executive for a change; fire these slackers and replace them with 560 people who want a job.
I really hope the right people read this posting and make it happen. The audacity of these state workers to not go into work and still expect to be paid when unemployment is rising and thousands of people would love the opportunity to work is atrocious. Hardly anyone in the private sector gets Columbus Day off! Especially this year! I agree with you Eric, fire them just like would happen in any other job in the state!
Bingo! Excellent, well said!
I could write a 3000 word article on this, but I will just keep it simple.
I have no sick days, no vacation days, no pension, no guaranteed paycheck. If all I had been cut in my income was 15% I would be on top of the world right now. You State workers that didn’t show up, you wouldn’t last a day in the private sector. If you are not careful, you may find out how hard it is if you get fired and have to explain that to a prospective boss out here in the REAL WORLD!
If you lose your job, I won’t be sorry for you.
Well said – but it can’t be done. Why? Best answer – lawyers. If this is the first action the employee took, they definitely would say, warn first but Govt. Code says it has to be 5 consecutive days of AWOL. And even then, its like pulling teeth (It took about 3 months to finish the last case). To add further injury, the union supports this because its the only thing they can support. The furloughs are not uniform and they cannot defend either position as some of the members are not on furlough – like SCO and EDD (yes – Education). So in their infinite wisdom, the union passed around a “Commitment Form” to taking the holiday – managers had it in writing who planned to be AWOL.
FIRE US YOU SAY THIS WAS NOT REALLY ABOUT COLUMBUS DAY OR UNIONS IT WAS ABOUT PRIDE AND SELF RESPECT I LOVE THE WAY THE COMMUNITY VIEWS THIS WHY BECAUSE WHEN YOU MEET A STATE WORKER THAT IS UNHAPPY IT USUALLY BECAUSE WE WERE FIGHTING TO GET YOU SOMETHING TO MAKE YOUR LIFE A LITTLE EASIER AND OUR HANDS WERE TIED WE’RE FRUSTRATED TOO WEAR MY PANTS FOR A DAY AND SEE HOW BIG THE RIP GETS IN YOUR BEHIND FROM BEING KICKED SO MUCH
I know the times are really bad for many people (at least 10% without jobs is totally unacceptable), but all this hateful article coupled with these negative comments will do is spread hate and further discontent. That fixes nothing and makes matters worse. And Roxxs, I wouldn’t touch your pants with a 10 foot pole! While all these bottom feeders are eating their own (lowly SEIU grunts) because THEY are not good enough to capture such a lucrative job, it looks like the bankers are taking all the money they can out of an enormously damaged financial system that is destroying our bottom-end workforce. Know your true enemies folks if you want to fix the problem!! These SEIU clowns are just a distraction from the real problems being generated from the top!
All of the DMV workers that missed worked Columbus day should be fired immediately! Our state has to many lazy state workers and to many departments that are doing things that the government should not be doing anyway.
And while you are at it, fire roxx! State workers need to understand that there is no right to having a job and there should not be a state workers union as it is unconstitutional in the first place. Most of us in the real world, you know the private sector, are hired with the terms that we could be terminated at will and for any reason. These state workers just do not understand that their pay comes from people working in the private sector, it is called taxes. They work for us and the minute they forget that fact they should be shown the door!
Interesting you claim this action was illegal. Do some research. The union contract states that these to holidays are paid holidays. The state cannot unilaterally refuse to comply with the terms of the contract. These workers did nothing illegal. Keep in mind, these holidays were given instead of a cash pay raise. These holidays were in effect a pay raise. You cannot legally, unilaterally decrase a persons income.
All these people pissing and moaning about being laid off, or not having a job, therefore state workers should just bend over and take the crap Arnie and his idiots dish out is pathetic. go out and get a job. Stop being made at other people for standing up for what they contracted for.
Eric,
I think it is clear that on this subject, you are very upset and you have lost your objectivity. I assume that you are a strict constructionist. If you are not a strict constructionist, then you are not a conservative.
As a strict constructionist, you know that the government only has the powers specifically given to it by the constitution. Also, the government is bound by any laws that it passes and any contracts that it enters into. The State of California cannot sign a contract with CC Meyers, then decide later that they can’t afford to pay the bonus to CC Meyers for finishing bridge repairs early.
There is no provision in the constitution nor in law that differentiates contracts between the private sector and the government sector. You cannot point to any line in the constitution that differentiates. A contract between two public sector entities, such as the counties and the State is just as much a contract as between two private parties. The counties can and do sue the state if the state violates a contract with them.
You seem to think there is something special about the contract with the state employees. The state cannot violate that contract any more than it can violate the contract with CC Meyers or with any county.
One of the basic concepts of a contract is that it requires consent from both parties to alter the contract unless otherwise specified. The State had the opportunity to pass a new contract that would have taken away those two holidays. They chose not to pass that contract therefore the old contract with the holidays stays in effect.
I do want to warn you that what you are promoting is very dangerous. If the State can alter any existing contract then expect very few people to ever do business with the state. Those who do will demand payment upfront and it will be substantial. Also, if you believe that the contract with the unions are meaningless due to the fiscal emergency, then you are asking for trouble. Another part of the contract is a no strike clause. If you think it is bad now with 560 DMV workers (0.22% of the State’s 250,000 workforce), then you will love it when there is a full strike.
If you are a liberal and want to have a “living constitution” then, yes, you can argue all you want about the concepts and principles that you espouse in this rant. If you are a conservative strict constructionist, then you have to play by the rules, even if the rules do not favor you.
It is amazing to see the (justified) contempt with which the public is coming to view the SEIU. The job of the bureaucracy seems to be the continued employment of the bureaucracy.
Roxxs – I can manage my life just fine. I’ll keep my money thanks.
I have been seeing the lawn signs a lot lately (State worker and proud of it, or some such). How about “proud to be a tax consumer.” And yes, I know you pay taxes too. Truly your taxes are just our taxes, taxed again!
The private sector can create wealth (meaning standard of living, not just cash). the public sector can only consume it. It cannot produce anything.
Sandra – your comment is illuminating, and it highlights the depth of reform that is needed. Why should someone be able to go AWOL for four days with only a warning? Why do they get the special protective procedures like “Skelly” hearings – something unheard of in the productive sector.
FIRE ROXXS GO AHEAD BECAUSE EVERYTIME I’M IN THE GROCERY STORE COUNTING PENNIES TO FEED MY FAMILY AND SOMEONE WITH A FOODSTAMP CARD IS BUYING LOBSTER I CRINGE AND WONDER WHY AM I WORKING YOU ARE WORRIED ABOUT ONE DAY THAT ONLY EFFECTS THE PERSON WHO DID OR DID NOT TAKE IT OFF WHAT ABOUT 365 DAYS A YEAR OF WELFARE TAXES THAT’S OK RIGHT AND NO I’M NOT TALKING ABOUT THE ONES WHO NEED IT BUT THE ONES WHO DRIVE NICER CARS THEN YOU DO FIRE ME GO AHEAD I’M TIRED OF POLITICS AND HATRED RUNNING MY LIFE SOME OF YOU ARE PRIME EXAMPLE THANK YOU FOR HELPING ME DECIDED HOW TO TREAT MY NEXT PHONE CALL OR ENCOUNTER WITH YOU OUR TAX PAYERS OR BU THE WAY WE PAY THEM TOO, WILD HOW THAT WORKS HUH
To solve these issues we have to get to the root of the problem, like why do public employees have a union in the first place? The concept of a labor union was devised to empower lowly, manual laborers amd give them some leverage against robber-barons making huge profits. Of course, it has evolved over time from being just about pay increaes, now to include medical benefits, retirement pensions, etc. But why do public employees need a union? The govt. isn’t a for-profit corporation making money off the sweat of its workforce. I have spoken to a friend of mine who worked for the state about this, and they claimed that if there weren’t such lucrative incentives to work for the govt. then you wouldn’t get the best and the brightest minds wanting to go into public employment. Yes, this was said with a straight face! In other words, why would anyone who was skilled and intelligent take a govt. job unless it was well-paid with lucrative benefits? Here’s an idea: why not operate the govt. like a private sector corporation? Same hiring and firing practices, promotions and pay increases for exceptional work,etc. It would help weed out some of the lazy “lifers” that do exist in the public sector workforce that give all public employees a bad name. Abolish the unions, as the mere concept of public employees unions is unconstitutional,including the CTA. It has done more to destroy public education in CA than anything else. But that’s a topic for another discussion!
Instead of focusing on the workers who are doing the same thing all of you would if given the chance (oh i forgot we are all honest john’s in public) and focus on the people up top who are in charge of all this. This whole freakin problem isn’t because of the workers no state worker has anything to do with the budget, the waste, any important decisions, we work here, that it. So you fire 2000 state workers then what, all of the sudden the big wigs are responsible and califonia is saved ??!! Give me a break, easy to pick on the little guys who have no power over anything, if you are all so tough go after the guys up top who are just sitting around watching all of us fight back and forth while they eat thier 500 lunch on your dime, laughing about all this stuff.
…and also state workers don’t have these jobs given to us for christmas, if they are lazy, and you want thier jobs then go apply. Cause if laid off they will be coming after yours anyway.
Eric, please get inform before you start saying that state workers who legally took columbus Day off should be fired. There is one big problem and that is that you spoke in igmorancy.
Sorry, state law (legislation) overrides a contractual debate; file with your union lawyers, go to work and let the coutts decide-after-the-fact. And from what I’ve been told by TWO judges, it won’t hold up in court – Executive branch, through legs has the upper-hand here. BTW, what court defends the private sector on contracts not fulfilled due to loss of revenue in a recession?
I am not lazy and im a state worker.
yes well written, talking about the worker this morning i went to DMV and the worker that i met is so lazy and rude, i will just to the point , i pay the renewal fee for my driver license and it cost me $31 and i gave her $41 then she said let me go to have a change , but instead of go get the change she was just standing there and chat with other counter’s worker and let me wait , on top of that she has no manner and rude, i was asking if she type a wrong date and she just yell at me ” JUST SIGN IT” and not only one time that they do the bad costumer service but so many time , so i wont feel sorry for them, i will say just go ahead cut the hours and cut the wages.