Category Archives: Measure P – Firefighters Union Initiative

Articles and information on Measure P, the firefighters’ union initiative on the city of El Segundo general municipal election ballot on April 10, 2012.

Measure P will disband the El Segundo local city Fire Department for a minimum of ten years, and force the city to contract with Los Angeles County for a greatly reduced level of fire and paramedic service.

Measure P will permanently eliminate the city’s three paramedic ambulances, and greatly increase hospital emergency transport times and fees for El Segundo residents.

The El Segundo Firefighters’ “Association” (union) put Measure P on the ballot to protect their wildly excessive salaries, benefits, and pensions, and their jobs, at the cost of money and lives for El Segundo residents.

Council Votes Save Money and Lives – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Michael D. Robbins

Posted on February 24, 2011 by Mike

Council Votes Save Money and Lives

I want to thank City Council members Bill Fisher, Suzanne Fuentes, and Carl Jacobson for voting on February 15 to put the firefighter union’s Punitive Initiative, Measure P, on the latest possible ballot – in April 2012. Their votes will save taxpayer money by avoiding an unnecessary special election, and much more tax money indirectly. But more importantly, their votes may save lives – especially the lives of our seniors.

The latest election date postpones the time residents will permanently lose their City-operated paramedic transport service, and be forced to use out-of-town ambulance companies with increased hospital transport times and fees, if enough voters are misled into approving the Punitive Initiative.

The union’s Punitive Initiative cuts emergency services to lock-in and pay for their wildly excessive and unsustainable employee salaries, benefits, and pensions. The latest election date can save $90 million over ten years in excess “special compensation” and pension contributions by giving the City Council more time to implement real and superior alternatives that save twice as much money without cutting our emergency services.

I was disheartened when, after I explained these facts, the firefighter union and Council candidate Scott Houston urged the Council to enact the initiative without any election … Continue reading →

Posted in El Segundo, El Segundo Election Coverage, El Segundo Herald Letters, El Segundo News, Firefighter and Police Union Compensation and Pensions, Firefighter Union Corruption, Government Employee Compensation and Pensions, Letters to the Editor, Measure P - Firefighters Union Initiative | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Council Votes Save Money and Lives – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Michael D. Robbins

Proposal for City Fire Dept to County – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Art Lavalle

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Mike

Proposal for City Fire Dept to County

The county fire department transfer proposal requires that the city of El Segundo pay off all accrued vacation and sick leave of the city fire personnel before they are transferred to the county.

According to the “Daily Breeze” there were two El Segundo city officials that were paid a combined total of $321,000 in accrued vacation and sick leave during 2009. How much do you think it will cost the city to pay off the accrued time for all members of the fire department?

Last week I stated that in ten years the city would get back run down equipment from the county. I was incorrect: In ten years the city will not get any equipment returned. All city fire vehicles and equipment become the property of the county. … Continue reading →

Posted in El Segundo, El Segundo Election Coverage, El Segundo Herald Letters, Firefighter and Police Union Compensation and Pensions, Government Employee Compensation and Pensions, Letters to the Editor, Measure P - Firefighters Union Initiative | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Proposal for City Fire Dept to County – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Art Lavalle

Firefighters Union Empty Threats – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Michael D. Robbins

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Mike

Firefighters Union Empty Threats

The firefighters union used misinformation, deception, and intimidation to collect petition signatures. As one resident put it, “How do you say ‘no’ to firefighters who show up at your door wearing their association tee-shirts? They know where you live, and they can delay or deny emergency service when you need it.”

Two firefighter union members showed up at the January 18 City Council meeting, demanding their fire department takeover initiative go on a special election ballot. They are not entitled to a special election, because their petition did not contain required language requesting a special election. They threatened to circulate a new petition with the required language if their demands were not met.

This is an empty threat. … Continue reading →

Posted in El Segundo, El Segundo Election Coverage, El Segundo Herald Letters, Firefighter and Police Union Compensation and Pensions, Firefighter Union Corruption, Government Employee Compensation and Pensions, Letters to the Editor, Measure P - Firefighters Union Initiative, Political Corruption | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Firefighters Union Empty Threats – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Michael D. Robbins

Everyone in El Segundo must defeat the greatest threat facing our city – the firefighters union initiative

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Mike

All El Segundo residents and business owners must work even harder to defeat the greatest threat facing our city and our safety – the firefighters union initiative. If their union initiative passes, we will permanently lose our Paramedic Transport Service, and depend on out-of-town ambulances with increased hospital transport times and fees. This is dangerous for everybody who lives, works, or does business in El Segundo, but it is especially dangerous for the elderly in our city. Almost all of the fire department calls are paramedic calls. El Segundo has few fire, and zero, one, or two major structure fires (with $100,000 in damage or more) per year.

The El Segundo City Council will decide at its February 15, 2011 meeting which election date the very dangerous firefighters union initiative will appear on the ballot for El Segundo voters. Continue reading →

Posted in California, El Segundo, El Segundo Election Coverage, El Segundo News, Elections, Firefighter and Police Union Compensation and Pensions, Firefighter Union Corruption, Government Employee Compensation and Pensions, Measure P - Firefighters Union Initiative, Political Corruption, Politics, Union Corruption | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Everyone in El Segundo must defeat the greatest threat facing our city – the firefighters union initiative

CALL TO ACTION: The citizens of El Segundo need your help

Posted on January 2, 2011 by Mike

by Michael D. Robbins
Director, Public Safety Project, PublicSafetyProject.org

January 2, 2011

This is an urgent Call to Action. The citizens of El Segundo need your help. They are about to lose their city fire department and paramedic transport service as a result of excessive and unsustainable labor union contracts – especially the fire and police union contracts.

Here is what you can do to help:

First, email this web page URL to everyone you know who may be interested and may want to help:

http://PublicSafetyProject.org/elsegundo/elsegundo_payroll.html

Second, if you want to help in other ways, send an email to the Public Safety Project using the following email address, and provide your name, contact information, and your offer to help. Put “WANT TO HELP” in the subject line. Thank you very much.

Third, if you live or work in El Segundo, and you want to save our fire department from a takeover by Los Angeles County, and loss of our Paramedic Transport service, then please send an email to the Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem, and each of the other City Council members.

Their email address appear below, followed by a sample email message. … Continue reading →

Posted in California, El Segundo, El Segundo Election Coverage, El Segundo News, Measure P - Firefighters Union Initiative | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on CALL TO ACTION: The citizens of El Segundo need your help

Aren’t the Firefighters’ and Police Officers’ “Associations” really just labor unions?

Posted on September 27, 2010 by Mike

by Michael D. Robbins
Director, Public Safety Project, PublicSafetyProject.org

September 27, 2010
(Updated December 7, 2010)

The El Segundo police officers and firefighters “associations” pretend they are not unions because most people know how corrupt the public safety unions have become. These “associations” avoid using the word “union” in their name and their publicity. And at least some of their members argue vociferously that they are not a labor union. Below is one such example, in a Letter to the Editor published in the September 23, 2010 edition of the El Segundo Herald newspaper, on page 12, signed by El Segundo Police Sergeant and union member Rex Fowler. Too bad he did not sign under penalty of perjury! He deceptively titled his letter, “FACT CHECK”. … Continue reading →

Posted in El Segundo News, El Segundo Tax and Fee Increases, Firefighter Union Corruption, Measure P - Firefighters Union Initiative, Police Union Corruption | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Aren’t the Firefighters’ and Police Officers’ “Associations” really just labor unions?

An Introduction to El Segundo’s Fiscal Problems: The firefighter and police unions are the primary cause

Posted on August 25, 2010 by Mike

by Michael D. Robbins
Director, Public Safety Project, PublicSafetyProject.org

August 25, 2010
(Updated March 15, 2012 – corrected police union raises from 15 percent to 15 to 23 percent.)

The City of El Segundo, California is at risk of losing its City Fire Department and eventually its City Police Department as a result of greatly excessive and unsustainable salaries, benefits, and pensions for its public employees, especially its fire and police union members. The fire and police unions obtained their excessive and unsustainable labor contracts from mayors and City Council members who received thousands of dollars of their campaign support.

The fire and police union members are the primary cause of El Segundo’s financial problems, yet they refuse to take reasonable and necessary pay cuts of at least 20 to 25 percent. These cuts are necessary for the firefighters and police unions to stop doing harm to the city, its residents, and its businesses. And these cuts are reasonable given the excessive firefighter and police pay, benefits, and pensions, and given their excessive raises during the current recession. The police union members received 15 to 23 percent increases and the firefighters union members received an 11.25 percent increase during the recession that they never should have received.

The firefighters’ and police officers’ unions are only considering a small 5 percent reduction in the scheduled pay increases provided by their current union contract. Instead of reasonable and necessary pay cuts to stop doing harm to the city, they demand that the city increase business taxes, create new fees for residents, eliminate and reduce city services, and contract with Los Angeles County for a reduced level of fire and paramedic services, including a loss of paramedic transport services. This takeover of the El Segundo city fire department by the county would protect the firefighter union members’ jobs, pay, and benefits.

The firefighters and police unions demand that all city employees take equal pay cuts. This is extremely unfair to the other city employees, who are paid less than one-fourth to one-half what the firefighters and police are paid, and who, unlike the firefighters and police union members, are not the primary cause of the city’s financial problems.

The El Segundo Firefighters Association (a fancy name for the firefighters labor union) reminds its members, on its official web site, “Remember, the Local 3682 Board of Directors, work to represent the collective interest of our general membership.”

Thus, the firefighters union admits what we already know, that it does not represent the interests of the residents and businesses in El Segundo when it endorses political candidates at election time, advocates public policy, and sponsors a voter initiative to force our city to lose our city fire department and paramedic transport services, and have to contract with Los Angeles County for inferior fire and paramedic services for a minimum of ten years under state law. … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Doug Willmore's Great Chevron Shakedown, El Segundo, El Segundo News, El Segundo Tax and Fee Increases, Elections, Firefighter and Police Union Compensation and Pensions, Firefighter Union Corruption, Government Employee Compensation and Pensions, Measure P - Firefighters Union Initiative, Police Union Corruption, Politics, Tax Policy and Issues | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on An Introduction to El Segundo’s Fiscal Problems: The firefighter and police unions are the primary cause

A History of Police and Firefighter Union Corruption in El Segundo

Posted on April 10, 2004 by Mike

by Michael D. Robbins
Directory, Public Safety Project
El Segundo, California
PublicSafetyProject.org

– WORKING DRAFT –

April 13, 2004 El Segundo City Election

http://www.publicsafetyproject.org/elsegundo/index.html

Union bosses and well-funded outside special interests are trying to take over small town El Segundo for at least the next four years

Former City Councilmember Mike Robbins fights against big city-style political machine in small town El Segundo

“El Segundo Fire and Police Union bosses unilaterally endorsed candidates with the worst public safety and spending records.”

“The $50,000 plus election campaign with many $1,000 to $6,000 contributions is highly unusual for small town El Segundo.

“Campaigns used to cost less than $5,000 and a lot of shoe leather. We are at risk of having all future Mayors and Councilmembers selected before the election by Union bosses and outside special interests. We may lose our Democratic elections.”

Michael D. Robbins, 4/9/2004
Founder, El Segundo Public Safety Project
Former El Segundo City Councilmember (1992-1996)

Read all about it and see more pages, documents, and images posted throughout the week!

DOCUMENTS

Read Mike’s Flyer – It was distributed city-wide on Saturday, April 10, 2004 … Continue reading →

Posted in California, El Segundo, El Segundo Election Coverage, El Segundo Tax and Fee Increases, Firefighter Union Corruption, Measure P - Firefighters Union Initiative, Police Union Corruption | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on A History of Police and Firefighter Union Corruption in El Segundo