Why public service unions typically disgust me: Ridgefield school food proposal draws fire

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Unions seem to come in two basic packages when you're dealing with the government sector.

There's the unions that understand our economic situation and that basically, we all will suffer as long as our economy is heading south, or until the Obama Administration is impeached, since he's doing everything he can to bury us in debt.

Then there's the moronic, viciously greedy, uncaring-that-we-pay-the-bills type, like the 4 unions that sued the Governor because she tossed their labor agreements due to a paltry $10 BILLION deficit.

Ridgefield School Classified Association is one such union.

To save money in the midst of horrific spending cuts, contracting the food services out is under consideration. That would mean that 15 employees would be laid off.

The union is pitching a fit. And to that, I say: That's too damned bad.

When a union president is reduced to lying: "These employees are the essential fabric of what makes our small town schools unique," that shows how out of touch and willing to exaggerate unions are to keep their people going at our expense.

My business is off 54% and it's absolutely attributable to the recession and budget cuts. While I have my thoughts on the causes of the economy, the fact is that our economy sucks, and that means EVERYONE, INCLUDING UNIONS, are GOING to feel the pain of it.

Kudos to the RSB and their Super for thinking outside the box. Unfortunately for the food workers, when their are cheaper alternatives that make sense, their is no compelling reason for these workers not to go.

Of course, instead of whining about it, they might.... just might.... have enough sense to make an alternative, competitive proposal that would allow them to stay.

But, nahhhhhh.... it's easier to whine and snivel and blame. And, because of their "Me, first" attitude, they really won't be missed.


Ridgefield school food proposal draws fire
Union fights plan to lay off 15, switch to contracted service

Saturday, May 23 12:15 a.m.

BY HOWARD BUCK
COLUMBIAN STAFF WRITER

Looks like there's a big food fight brewing in Ridgefield.

Ridgefield School District classified employees say they're furious Superintendent Art Edgerly and the school board would consider terminating 15 food-service workers, to replace them with a contracted company.

The workers' union is urging parents to crowd Tuesday's 6:30 p.m. school board meeting to register displeasure with what its leader calls a "heartless" proposal.

The potential money-saving move comes while Ridgefield sports a relatively healthy budget in a year when other Clark County districts are wrestling with multimillion-dollar deficits.

District officials have sent a contract service feasibility study to the state education office, the Ridgefield Classified Association said in a withering statement issued Friday.

"These employees are the essential fabric of what makes our small town schools unique," said Denise Krause, classified union president.

"This is the wrong direction for the board and district to take," Krause said. Many food-service workers are low-wage, low-hour employees whose families face tough times, she said. To fire them now "is heartless" when the district has more than $2 million in reserves, she said.

The current operating budget for the 2,000-student district is about $18 million.

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