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City Strike? Free speech for all?

The only thing I'm certain about regarding this post is that we do not have the whole story.  Kudos to the Daily Journal for running with what they did know yesterday about the potential strike over "free speech" issues among City employees.  The DJ piece starts with

The union representing 130 Burlingame city workers could strike after complaints allege city managers in various departments are interfering with employees’ rights to free speech.  Rod Palmquist, spokesperson for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 829, said the city workers have a right to free speech and express their desire for better-paying wages.

The bit of background we do have is

The state’s Public Employment Relations Board issued an unfair labor practice complaint against the city Sept. 8. In early June, several employees attended a City Council meeting to speak in favor of fair wages. The next day, an employee at the meeting allegedly asked police Capt. Robert Boll a routine operational question. Boll allegedly said, “Why don’t you ask the AFSCME people.” While speaking to a group of employees who voiced the need for a pay increase, Park Superintendent Richard Holtz allegedly responded that they should talk with him if they didn’t like working for the city for the pay they receive, adding he would help them find another place to work, according to a PERB complaint.

First, one could ask why there is such a thing as a Public Employment Relations Board, who is on it and how much homework do they do before they issue a complaint?  I'd like to know what the "routine operational question" was and whether it was asked in good faith.  As far as the second comment by Rich Holtz, that sounds like him exercising his free speech, not interfering with someone else's.  And it's not like he gets to decide who gets paid what in town.  For me the kicker is this bit

City employee Joleen Helley said the city pays 6% less than neighboring cities doing similar jobs, according to the release.

Blanket statistics like that always concern me.  There are so many variables that boiling a pay comparison down to a single number is impossible.  What about time in grade (seniority), performance reviews, benefit packages and the like?  B'game is in contract negotiations now–did the other cities just finish theirs so raises come at different times?  And the BIg Question is who cares what other cities are paying?  That is a false comparison meant to continue a faster upward spiral than is needed to provide the services.  I recall back in the day, a clerical job opening at City Hall drew more than 200 applicants.  The pay must have been competitive enough.

This is just a place marker post for when we know more–if we ever do.

Strike
  

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39 responses to “City Strike? Free speech for all?”

  1. Paloma Ave.

    There is no right to free speech while on an employers property.

  2. Spurinna

    Who wouldn’t want to work for the city of Burlingame?
    Put out some “For Hire” flyers and see what happens…

  3. Timothy Hooker

    Where can we see the pay numbers by job description?

  4. Gerald Weisl

    Here’s a link which might be of interest regarding salaries…
    https://transparentcalifornia.com/salaries/2022/burlingame/

  5. hollyroller@ gmail.com

    Dear Paloma,
    I had a couple of jobs where upon employment: “You can never discuss your pay package or benefits with any other employee.”
    Do you believe that is Free Speech?
    Or, once off the “employer’s property “you can have Free Speech?

  6. hollyroller@ gmail.com

    Do you folks know that Mr. Holtz make over $147,000.00 a year. Add Benefits, close to $2000,000.00 a year? Before we begin to Tear Down the COB Employee’s that keep the Lawns Mowed, and Garbage Cans emptied, please consider why a Person/Manager that makes almost a Quater Million Dollars a Year would complain about “His Workers” are making to much money. DAM.

  7. hollyroller@ gmail.com

    I do not care for Ms. Paloma at all. Nevertheless, I do appreciate “their comments.” Keep ’em coming Ms. Paloma…
    At least the BV Community will be able to “Welcome Another BV Community Crackpot into the Fold.
    Happy Halloween.
    What time will you be serving Treats Tuesday Evening?
    Please Ms. Paloma, last year the “Rotten Apples” and Dental Floss you shared with the neighborhood were inappropriate. The previous year it was “Cabage on White Bread with Miracle Whip.”
    This year’s Halloween, at least throw a few melted Candy Canes from 2021 in the “little kids” Trick/Treat Bags.

  8. resident

    Drinking early again, holly? I’ll bet the Park & Wreck and public works guys are making good money.

  9. Paloma Ave.

    Dear Mr. Holyroller – Please do not be concerned about being displaced as thee #1 Crackpot on Burlingame Voice.
    No one could come close to your meandering unintelligible postings.

  10. hollyroller@ gmail.com

    Ok.
    That’s it Paloma Ave… No Mas. No Mas.
    You are off this year’s Christmas Card List.
    Don’t worry though.
    Just send the same “See’s Candy Easter Box of Love Nuggets” you sent for Easter last year and “all will be forgiven.”
    Happy Halloween Paloma Ave.
    I Love those Nuggets.

  11. Timothy Hooker

    Thanks Gerald: In reviewing Burlingame payroll details, I think I am in the wrong business. 🙂

  12. Paloma Ave.

    And if you add in the retirement benefits!

  13. hollyroller@ gmail.com

    Company Vehicle-GIANT NHTs, Gas Card, Insurance, Clothing Expense Account, and “Slush Fund.” receipts required, as well as yearly bonus’s. To live in the SF Bay Area “Struggling to Claw to Burlingame Middle Class, a Family of Four needs to make at least &200,000.00 a year. These people NEED to receive this income to live. Good For Them. Look around. Burlingame is Beautiful… Paloma Ave. Every city needs a Ghetto. As well as the Neighborhood, self-important Bully.

  14. Corona_n_Lime

    I see Joe is sprucing up the joint by defending the city

  15. Corona_n_Lime

    Joe- the NLRB is around for the reasons that the city has a suit filed against them. Oh yeah, not just this one time. There has been a few lately. Look it up. I’ll give you one good reason the NLRB is around; termination for no good reason. You can’t do that in these city jobs nowadays. It’s just like the teachers. Yes, there are some employees that need to go. That goes for management as well. When a manager says to a group of employees that if, “they don’t like their job, you can come to me and I’ll help you find another job”. That’s harassment and intimidation nowadays in the public sector. It’s unacceptable in the professional environment that Mr. Holtz claims to be managing. Where does the HR stand on this? Silent, I’m sure. I’m sure that Mr. Holtz still has his job though. Remember folks, he also belongs to a union (Bay Area Middle Management).

  16. Joe

    “Joe is defending the city”
    I can hear the howling laughter in City Hall from here. How about “Joe is speaking up for the taxpaying residents of Burlingame”? That would be much more accurate.
    You are clearly someone who has never signed the front of a paycheck. Go look this up:
    When government unions strike, they strike against taxpayers. F.D.R. considered this “unthinkable and intolerable.” Government collective bargaining means voters do not have the final say on public policy.

  17. MBGA

    Joe, well stated. Thanks.

  18. hollyroller@ gmail.com

    Thank You Corona.

  19. hollyroller@ gmail.com

    Dear Joe.
    If anyone in your family has EVER been in a Union, did, they make a “Good Living?” Did they have a “Retirement Package?” Did they have “Medical Benefits” for their Family and Spouse? Could they take a Week off work without being fired to be with their Family? If an COB Employee gets hurt at work will the COB pay for their medical bills? 40 Hour Work Week?
    I believe that you Joe, are a RECIPANT OF THESE BENEFITS. How in the World can you be such a Hypocrite?
    Let us know how the AFCME Union that represents 90% of the City of Burlingame Employee’s has not made your life better? Then again, I don’t know Jack S. But Holly Cow! Wow.
    I used to think you were a journalist.
    Just another Shill for MAGA.

  20. hollyroller@ gmail.com

    One more comment.
    Mr. Holtz-COB Park& Recreation Boss is by far the best, eductaeed, experienced, hardworking-60 hour week COB employee committed Manager there ever was.
    In my educated/legal opinion, the COB should stop disrespecting the basic needs of the people who make COB a Diamond. Just give them what they want. Paloma?

  21. Phinancier

    Joe, there is a wise old saying– Don’t get into a battle of wits with an unarmed man.
    1 Corona, 2 Corona, 3 Corona, 4
    5 Corona, 6 Corona, who will buy me one more?

  22. Everything’s Jake

    Joe, I applaud your postings on looking out for the taxpayer. Politicians and government unions certainly think citizens are a never ending well of money. Unions always want more for less. That cannot be sustained. So, again I thank you for supporting taxpayers, and for keeping this forum positive despite the comments from the crazies.

  23. Joe

    Thank you for the first point, Everything’s Jake. On the second point, I’m glad you find it positive. You may be in the minority 🙂

  24. Paloma Ave.

    Bicyclists are the minority, but amongst our politicians they RULE!

  25. Timothy Hooker

    What concerns me is the lack of transparency in the negotiations. Every word spoken between parties should be on-line in realtime so the citizens can be aware of what their Council is agreeing to.
    A healthy balance of union workers is good, but it has to be clear who they work for. Taxpayers.
    Unions can increase expenses and create a confrontational dynamic between workers and employers. While unions often secure higher pay for their members, they also elevate labor costs.
    Additionally, because unions represent workers in negotiations with management, it can occasionally lead to conflicts between labor and management. If you believe that a contentious relationship between employees and employers is natural, you may not perceive an issue.
    Why don’t we split the workforce 50/50 between private and Union using mutually agreed upon KPI’s and analytics to measure the productivity and cost on an annual basis????

  26. Mom

    How is it harassment for a manager to tell an employee that if he/she/they don’t like their pay they can go find another job? I don’t get it.

  27. MBGA

    Timothy, I agree with you that there should be a lot more transparency about negotiations. But realistically transparency wont do that much good anyway. Most people can’t understand the issues or details, nor have the time or interest to learn about them, nor would be told honestly what those issues are by the sorry state of the news media.
    The issue is government unions; and there I disagree with you. There is no place for government unions if we want things to work.
    I have zero problems with private sector unions. If the auto workers, or the hotel maids, or the private train workers (and there with the trains, like hospitals, there is some government funding that complicates things) want to strike for better wages or conditions, that is fine by me and if it puts pressure on the management reporting to shareholders of companies to negotiate to stay in business, a balance is achieved. That’s a sort of functioning negative feedback control.
    But as Joe pointed out, government unions in a Democrat environment are not a negative feedback loop. They are a positive feedback open loop and spin out of control. Public employee unions negotiation their salaries with other public officials should be prohibited by law.

  28. Timothy Hooker

    Great point. From a legal standpoint:
    Improper Delegation of Power is a big concern for me:
    Courts previously struck down collective bargaining laws in the public sector, considering them an improper delegation of political power.
    Allowing unelected bodies, like unions, to hold the power to strike and negotiate undermines democratic principles.
    Granting special tools to unions in the public sector can be seen as anti-democratic and allows for disproportionate political leverage.
    I would like to know what percentage of the City workers live in 94010.

  29. resident

    Here comes a strike over “free speech”. Don’t managers also have a right to “free speech” or only the unionistas?

  30. Joe

    Here is the link to today’s DJ piece:
    https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/burlingame-workers-vote-to-strike/article_6d7f6000-84fc-11ee-a7e3-534cfdc6e5b3?utm_source=smdailyjournal.com&utm_campaign=%2Fnewsletters%2Fheadlines%2F%3F-dc%3D1700233223&utm_medium=email&utm_content=headline
    Selected snippets:
    Members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 829 — which represents about 150 Burlingame municipal employees — overwhelmingly authorized a potential strike Nov. 15 based on three alleged unfair labor practice charges relating to free speech, with 96% of union members in favor.
    The union would endorse Police Department employees and those in two Public Works positions relating to water management continuing work, AFSCME Local 829 chief negotiator Rod Palmquist said.
    “The city refuses to rein in these managers who are making comments that stifle our members’ rights to free speech,” he said. “Could they do something meaningful that would try to address that? Absolutely. Would we be open to hearing about that and talking [about] that? Absolutely.”
    According to Palmquist, Burlingame has a “troubling history” of managers trying to interfere with workers’ rights and, although optimistic the behavior would change, he isn’t sure how likely it is.

  31. Phinancier

    Sounds like a good opportunity to get your Christmas shopping done.

  32. Corona_n_Lime

    Go to the city council meetings and meet with city council and ask what the hold up is. Ask to talk to Mr Palmquist. Ask why this is going down the road that so many unions are now forced to go down. Just go. Just ask.

  33. Joe

    OK, here we go………from the e-newsletter
    Due to Upcoming Strike, Several City Facilities and Services Unavailable on Monday, December 4
    On November 22, 2023, the City of Burlingame received notice from AFSCME Local 829—a union representing approximately 133 City employees—of the union’s intention to hold a one-day strike on Monday, December 4. As a result, the following facilities, services, and programs will be affected on December 4:
    • Main Library (480 Primrose Rd): Open 2-6 p.m.; programs including the Teen Homework Center will be canceled for the day.
    • Easton Branch Library (1800 Easton Drive): Closed
    • Parks and Recreation (850 Burlingame Ave): Community Center will be closed and any activities, classes, or workshops will be canceled; parks and outdoor facilities will remain open. For recreation questions or class refund requests, call (650) 558-7300. For any inquiries related to parks, please call (650) 558-7330.
    • Finance Department (501 Primrose Rd): Counter will be closed to the public. For general finance questions, call (650) 558-7200. For inquiries related to water bills, call (650) 558-7210.
    • Community Development Department (501 Primrose Rd): Counter will be open 8 a.m.-12 p.m.
    • Public Works: No regularly scheduled street sweeping will take place, and there will be minimal staffing available for Burlingame Avenue and Broadway Avenue cleaning services. Expect delays for non-emergency services as minimal staffing will be available to respond to encroachment permits and public right-of-way issues. For inquiries related to City projects, please call (650) 558-7230. For inquiries related to streets, sewers, and sidewalks, please call (650) 558-7270.
    Police and Fire will not experience any disruption to services.

  34. Cassandra

    Library…
    Community Center…
    Won’t someone think of the children?
    I mean as besides human shields…

  35. Phinancier

    Do the employees get paid for the day off? I’m betting yes.

  36. Joe

    Someone asked me why the Voice isn’t covering the Big Strike yesterday. I have to remember that after something slips off the front page, it slips off the casual readers’ radar. I pointed them to the 10/27 original post, but it was six weeks ago. C’es la vie. I really didn’t have much to add to the OP, but now that the performative strike has happened and the DJ has written yet another piece on it that rehashed the last piece or two, there are a couple of quotes worth noting. From the DJ:
    For these workers, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 829 strike — which began at 8 a.m. and went to 7 p.m. so workers could speak at the Burlingame City Council meeting after — is a way to tell city leadership they will not be intimidated by alleged unfair labor practices.
    “We’re just holding a one-day strike to, because of that retaliation, just to prove the point, you can’t push us around, you can’t bully us, we’re united and we will we will fight back,” (Dante) Campagna said.
    ———————-
    Pointed comments from managers are now “unfair labor practices” and bullying. Sigh.
    ———————-
    Burlingame Children’s Librarian Jennifer Bousquet said that watching parents and children unable to access library services “breaks my heart,” but the strike action was necessary to show unity and stand with union members whose voices were being silenced.
    “We don’t censor books at the library, and we don’t censor voices in the community. That’s really why we’re here, just to give everybody the right to speak up without any fear of retribution,” she said.
    ——————————
    The library has no problem censoring common sense and historic murals on its wall, but everything else is sancrosanct. What a load.
    https://www.burlingamevoice.com/2023/04/living-in-burlingame-is-a-special-privilege-really
    —————————-
    Bousquet emphasized that Burlingame employees, as valuable members of the community, had an obligation to create some disruption for the greater good.
    “I hope the community is behind us. I hope the community sees the value in all of us standing up for each other. We’re part of the community!” she said. “I think it maybe is unfortunate, but I think it’s necessary.”
    —————————–
    Another load. Newsflash, Jennifer. Some (much?) of the community thinks y’all are way out of line. We also think the “mean speech” head fake is just convenient cover for hard ball pay negotiations. Since we are stuck with a public employees’ union to begin with (FDR rolling in grave), the union is entitled to play hard ball, but spare us the whining about “free speech” unless it is for all.
    https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/burlingame-workers-strike/article_1c977954-9323-11ee-bdbb-cb46d918513c?utm_source=smdailyjournal.com&utm_campaign=%2Fnewsletters%2Fheadlines%2F%3F-dc%3D1701788426&utm_medium=email&utm_content=headline

  37. Paloma Ave

    Sorry, this sounds like something from my childhood. “Mom, make her stop talking to me.” Her, “I wasn’t talking to you, I was talking to the wall.”

  38. Phinancier

    Let’s see what a child librarian makes in Burlingame. Full benefits for sure. That’s big money. It could be a part time job with a BHS intern or two filling in after 2:30.

  39. Joe

    The DJ keeps flogging this poor horse. Here’s today’s effort with my comments:
    A one-day Burlingame workers’ strike is continuing to make waves in the community, with Burlingame Mayor Michael Brownrigg alleging at a Dec. 4 City Council meeting that the strike — which was an Unfair Labor Practice strike based on free speech complaints, the union said — was really about ongoing contract negotiations.
    —————————
    Waves? Maybe a ripple, but the man-on-the-street doesn’t care. At least I do. The union filed another complaint, this time about Brownrigg! Oh dear, another complaint!
    ————————–
    The union and the city of Burlingame reached impasse proceedings in their contract negotiations as of Nov. 20, which are still stuck around economic proposals, Burlingame Human Resources Director Maria Saguisag-Sid said. Per impasse rules, both the union and the city are still required to “meet in good faith,” which means the union can’t strike on contract-related issues and must continue discussion.
    The union can legally strike on any ULP charges once a complaint is filed, Saguisag-Sid said. Palmquist said the mayor’s comments were another example of the ongoing unfair labor issues the union has against the city.
    —————————–
    Tactic revealed although nobody even noticed the last one-day strike. So Brownrigg needs to just STFU, but the workers can blather on.
    —————————-
    “The impact of his statement was like a slap in the face to all the Burlingame employees who spent 12 hours of their day protesting threats
    ——————————-
    Did they get time and half out of the union coffers? Inquiring minds want to know.
    ——————————
    The union has recently requested a fact-finding process take place, Saguisag-Sid said, which could take until January or February as both sides will provide economic information regarding budgeting and previous proposals.
    “Fact-finding will show how far behind inflation our members are, and how Burlingame is not paying enough to retain valuable employees, who quickly leave for jobs that pay more in other cities,” Palmquist said of the decision.
    ——————————
    I like this “fact-finding” idea. Exactly how may valuable employees have left? Public records request anyone?
    https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/burlingame-union-in-debate-over-strike-impetus/article_8a17634e-98a1-11ee-a6bf-73d440b3c73b?utm_source=smdailyjournal.com&utm_campaign=%2Fnewsletters%2Fheadlines%2F%3F-dc%3D1702393221&utm_medium=email&utm_content=headline

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