You may recall me writing about how the Michigan city of Allen Park planned to layoff their entire fire department.
Well, they have reversed that decision. But not before wringing concessions out of their fire fighters.
Of course.
The Allen Park City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to rescind layoff notices that were sent to the city’s 26 firefighters last month after officials said they would be forced to shut down the department if concessions were not made.The vote came after City Attorney Todd Flood said officials with the fire department as well as police department worked to negotiate concessions for personnel in both departments. Officials have not disclosed details of the concessions because they have not been finalized.
“We have been diligently trying to make cuts,” Flood said. “There will be sacrifices.”
Turns out that, not unexpectedly, Allen Park is afraid of being taken over by one of Governor Rick Snyder’s new Emergency Financial Managers.
Allen Park officials are facing a $600,000 deficit, and [Allen Park City Attorney Todd] Flood said the city must do all it can to avoid a state takeover.“I think it will be something where City Council is going through a series of data and wants to see what they can do to save the city from (being assigned) an emergency financial manager,” Flood said.
Using a financial emergency, caused, in part, by crappy leadership and governing by city leaders, to get concessions from city workers, in this case firefighters. Tell me this isn’t just another implementation of the Shock Doctrine. It is and everybody knows it.
I’m just sayin’…
