By: Diane Benjamin
City of Bloomington AFSCME Local 699 ratified a new contract yesterday that eliminates Sick Leave Buy Back. The City Council will approve it Monday. Congrats to both sides!
For once the City did not hire a Chicago lawyer to negotiate for them. That made a contract easier to achieve and saved both sides a lot of time and money.
I’m hearing employees even realized SLBB has been abused. The citizens sure realize it.
Public Works has an employee named Adam Smith who is listed on the FINALLY posted compensation list for last year as a tuck driver. http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=21565
He is also a union head. I’m told Smith received a DUI which means he automatically lost his CDL license for one year. I’m also told the City has always laid off others who have lost their CDL. After a year they can reapply, but they lose all seniority.
I’m also told Smith was reassigned to a job that does not require him to drive. This is evidently the first time an employee has been treated in this way. Fellow employees are wondering why.
This record is available from the County database:
Another Public Works employee is in the same spot – Clint Pfanz. He is also listed as a truck driver. He was arrested for DUI, leaving the scene of an accident, and related offenses this month. Pfanz’s offenses are more serious since Smith wasn’t accused of leaving the scene of an accident. Pfanz’s record is also available:
So far Pfanz has not been terminated either. It will be interesting to see if the two cases are handled different. Nothing destroys moral faster than favoritism.
Criminal and Civil cases can be accessed on the County website here: https://www.mcleancountyil.gov/137/Public-Access-Search-System
For Smith this is his 2nd DUI, he also has a citation for open alcohol container in vehicle. Did not get the chance to flee accident like Franz as he was caught for signal violation which got him a sobriety test. It is good that our local government sets a good example in responsibility for one’s actions by ignoring these 2. NOT!
Glad to see the end of buyback. No doubt people will call in sick more often….but as little as some of these people do they might just have to work if their buddy calls in sick.
Might as well be sick, because they sure as heck aren’t filling potholes or fixing streets and garbage pickup is minimal at least..NOT to mention leaves, yard waste, etc.. This “Quality of LIFE?” is gonna ruin Bloomington..
But HEY! We can still play video poker-RIGHT!
I hear they are emptying garbage everyday in downtown Bloomington. Just take your garbage their. Your tax dollars, your garbage cans. I’ll go there with my trash. We need to do whatever possible to keep Downtown thriving. They want people there, let’s give them all of humanity.
Sure looks like the businesses are using those trash containers!
One aside to pension padding are the folks that go to work sick and are somewhat unproductive and spread their sickness to others just to pad their retirement. This pension problem pales when compared to what goes on in our State government and has for many years.
Blm certainly has lumps on the payroll. Just go into the water dept to pay a bill!
I interviewed with the state YEARS ago, I was told that I should bring a book to read when I work. I turned down that job!