Facebook
Fark
Digg
Reddit
Stumble
Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011 | 2 a.m.
Related story
Sun archives
- County considers seeking reimbursement over firefighter sick leave abuse (2-15-2011)
- County OKs contract with firefighters that saves $7.4 million (2-1-2010)
- Arbitrator backs county over firefighters’ union in contract negotiations (1-19-2011)
- County firefighters union preaches frugality, to others (11-2-2010)
- Sisolak offers proof of firefighters ‘gaming’ sick leave system (9-11-2010)
- County, firefighters’ union spar over contract negotiations (8-3-2010)
- Is a wave of county firefighter retirements on the horizon? (6-25-2010)
- Rory Reid says firefighters union resorting to ‘scare tactic’ with ad (6-15-2010)
- County considers plan to privatize airport firefighting force (6-11-2010)
- New plan to curtail Clark County firefighter overtime (6-5-2010)
- Staffing shuffle would cut county Fire Department overtime (5-20-2010)
- Las Vegas, Clark County collaborate to limit firefighter overtime (4-27-2010)
- Fire union resists move to increase its ranks, reduce overtime costs (4-16-2010)
- Has fire union support become a campaign curse? (4-15-2010)
Not long ago an endorsement from a firefighters’ union was the gold standard of support for a politician’s campaign. The brave public servants not only reflected well on the candidate but usually canvassed neighborhoods drumming up votes.
No more.
What makes you say that?
With early voting for the municipal primary three weeks away, candidates are talking to unions, seeking endorsements. Las Vegas has a race for mayor and three races for City Council, and there are numerous races in other municipalities.
Recently, the Sun received a call from a Las Vegas candidate asking if the same kind of sick-leave issues that Clark County uncovered with its firefighters had occurred with Las Vegas firefighters. A year ago, the Sun reported county firefighters call in sick at twice the rate of other county employees and four times the rate of management.
Now, county firefighters are under the gun after an arbitrator agreed with the county that many firefighters appear to be using sick leave as vacation.
Why did the candidate ask about city firefighters’ sick leave?
The candidate was evaluating whether to seek an endorsement from the fire union. If, the candidate said, it had the same problem as Clark County, then the candidate would not talk to the union.
Wow. That would have never happened two years ago — you’d just take the endorsement and run.
That’s exactly what the candidate said.
So do Las Vegas firefighters have the same problem?
Not according to numbers the city provided for the Sun. In 2010, 489 firefighters working 24-hour shifts averaged 8.2 shifts of sick leave. Another 112 10-hour Fire Department employees averaged 8.2 shifts of sick leave. And all other city employees working 10-hour shifts averaged eight shifts of sick leave.
Jace Radke, city spokesman, said Las Vegas tracks sick leave in all departments using a program called Performance Plus. The Fire Department has also implemented measures to keep sick leave down:
• Overtime cannot be earned 72 hours after calling in sick, limiting the potential for combining sick leave and overtime.
• Sick leave over three days requires a doctor’s note to return to work.
• Sick leave is limited to six incidents a year without a doctor’s note.
Radke added that since 2008, the department has curtailed sick leave by more than 10 percent. Additionally, the firefighters’ union is planning talks with the fire chief, Radke said, to come up with more steps to reduce sick leave “understanding the importance of this issue to the city’s bottom line and to the public trust.”
•••
John Cahill, Clark County's public administrator, goes to the homes of the recently deceased, takes inventory and carts away possessions.
Sun archives
Clark County Public Administrator John Cahill might be on the verge of becoming a reality TV star.
Has that genre really reached the point at which a little-known elected official is deemed worthy fodder?
Apparently so.
Who thinks what Cahill does is TV-worthy?
An Encino, Calif., production company called Workaholic Productions has been working with the county for a few months to come up with an agreement the County Commission is likely to approve Tuesday. Workaholic will pay the county $6,000 per episode.
What does the public administrator do that’s so interesting?
An elected position, the public administrator intervenes when questions arise over a dead person’s belongings — heirs can’t be found, the property is being neglected or handled improperly or the administrator is named in the will as estate executor.
The Clark County office handles about 1,000 cases a year. Located downtown near the coroner’s office, the public administrator’s warehouse is full of old pictures, documents, clothes, couches, bikes, trinkets, baubles and other items. Personal drama, too, is inherent in any death, which the TV show is bound to capture on camera.
So he deals with the same kind of junk ... er, belongings that, say, a pawnshop buys and sells every day?
Pretty much.
See where I’m going with this?
Yes. And perhaps Cahill will gain a following like the “Pawn Stars” at the Gold & Silver Pawnshop on Las Vegas Boulevard, who have tourists lining up to see Chum Lee, Big Hoss and the rest of the gang haggle with people over their stuff.
So when is it going to be on?
The agreement is for up to 10 episodes to air on the National Geographic channel. A pilot will air in the spring or early summer.
The fire fighters have tainted an image that many of us have hold dear. The shame, the violators, have duped us the voters by stealing tax dollars by conspiring to defaud! Yes, strong statement, but the actions by the violators are clear evidence of criminal wrong doing.
Longtimevegan, criminal wrong doing? I keep asking what crime has been broken by the firefighters? I don't think that gaming the system is breaking the law.
to any political opponent chrissy giunchigliani has in the future...
and i do mean any political opponent...
ever in the future...
if you want to destroy chrissy giunchigliani..
i mean if you want to crush chrissy giunchigliani...
the week before the election...
just blanket the media with this...
http://transparentnevada.com/salaries/20...
you win...
in a landslide...
are you listening mayoral candidates???
hey chrissy...
the new firemen's contract is coming up soon...
what are you going to do about it chrissy???
hmmm???
we all know you are one of their strongest supporters...
what are you going to do about it chrissy???
hmmm???
Barrett---It's called fraud.
When looking at the current candidates running for the Mayors job be sure to look at which unions they have been tied to in the past.
Spots don't change. They may be laying low about asking for support at this time but that does not mean they are not still tied to those same checkbooks behind the scenes.
There are no laws broken in what the firemen have done. Read their contractual agreement, nothing has been broken in their contractual agreement.
Steve10, fraud?, please explain?
Barrett----Pretending to be sick and misusing your sick days as vacation days is fraud. Being "sick" for three months in one year and then being well enough to work overtime and still make $200,000 that same year is fraud.....Their contract is for SICK LEAVE...Not VACATION time...It's apparent through their e-mails that they were planning vacation time....
Are you a firefighter?
Can you imagine a candidate for office saying, I am proud of my endorsement by the criminal firefighters of Clark County! I strongly support them stealing my tax dollars! I strongly support their bloated pensions! LMAO!
Steve10, I'm sure a few FFs were manipulating the rules, that's inevitable in any large group. But you seem determined to condemn all the FFs as a whole. Is it possible that some were scheduling sick leave for known and legitimate procedures? If your wife is scheduled to have a mastectomy next week, would it be acceptable to schedule some sick time? What if she was having a baby? Anyone who abused the system should be disciplined, but consider all the inaccurate stereotypes that simple minds use to judge groups. Judging a group because of the bad behaviour of a few has never been accurate or fair. Show some reason.
Joe who's agenda are you pushing? Politics are much more complicated than what's on the surface, or what Joe portrays. The FF endorsement will always be valuable to politicians for one reason. FFs are wiling to do the necessary footwork. When candidates need feet on the ground to deliver their message, FFs are one of the most reliable resources available. Even if politicians choose to omit the FF endorsement from their literature, FFs are always involved because FFs support candidates that support public safety. And ultimately, candidates support public safety because that's what the public supports. Public safety is one of the primary core services for any civilized government.
Try this fictitious political message... "I fully support the discipline, termination and prosecution of any individual that is proven to have abused the public trust and public funds. However, I will not turn my back on public safety or the importance or it, because public safety matters to the public! Our citizens need to know that in time of emergency whether criminal, fire, medical or other, that highly trained professionals will be there in a moments notice. If elected I will personally recommend increased oversight and approval of all sick, vacation and overtime in ALL County departments, including public safety. We will ensure that the public can trust in the members of our public safety agencies and know that all bad behaviour has been removed from our ranks. However, I will reiterate my belief in public safety and it's great importance to our citizens. etc. etc. blah. blah."
Imagine what kind of message a real political spin machine could create. Don't think politicans are going to turn their back on public safety just because of a few bad apples.
"Don't bite the hand that feeds you". Unionism is its own worst enemy. Greed begets more greed. When the greed gets too cumbersome for the government to bear, the government must make the necessary adjustments. Similarly, in the private sector, when the union demands get too cumbersome for the company to bear, the company folds. Unions seem bent on killing the geese that lay the golden eggs. So, it's no wonder they are not as popular with politicians these days.
Buddy,
Politics are complicated. But what person with any common sense would say public safety is not important? These are important jobs, however, the wages have become unsustainable.
FF do not endorse candidates that support public safety, because all politicians support public safety.
FF endorse candidates, and throw your union dues behind candidates (dems mostly), and get paid back for that endorsement with sweetened contracts.
I understand the need for public safety, however I have an issue with the unsustainable wages and benefits. The taxpayers are not an unlimited source of income for public unions to continually take from.
I've never considered any of these type of endorsements when voting for any candidate, other than maybe considering certain endorsements as a reason not to vote for someone.
An endorsement from a firefighter (or a teacher, or a celebrity or any other specific profession) is not any better than an endorsemet from anyone else.
I feel the same when candidates are endorsed by a newspaper, TV station or radio personality. Again, those opinions are no better or worse than yours or mine.
unsilent, FFs have the same campaign contribution limits that every other group has. I don't remember what it is, but it's not much. It's definitely not enough to buy favor. Besides, the contracts aren't negotiated by the elected politicians, they are negotiated by non-elected County staffers like Don Burnette and Ed Finger. Commissioners may sign there name to it in the end, but if you've ever watched a BOCC meeting, most commissioners follow staff's recommendations. Commissioners are just politicians, staff are the actual experts. Take the sick leave abuse issue for example...Sisolak wants to claim credit, he's definitely the one grabbing all the air time. But staffers are the ones that discovered the trends, did the analysis, used it in negotiations and finally brought it to the Commissioner's knowledge.
Don't get total compensation confused with wages and benefits. A topped out FF makes $26/hr, is that wage "unsustainable"? OT is the root of all the perceived problems. Eliminate OT and even you would most likely agree that FFs pay isn't excessive compared to their risks.
Buddy here we have the same people complaining about FF who gamed the system and everyone of those jealous people, the holier than thou's, have followed the rules and have never done anything wrong...oh now we get.."I have done some things that weren't right but they weren't as bad as what the FF's have done.
I sick and tired of hearing these double dipped pansies complain like little girls. I think growing up is a "good answer". Otherwise these retards can sit back all day and use the FF's as scapegoats to take out their aggresions on anything and everything.
Is sick leave supposed to extend to your family members illness ie: mastectomy? Would you not instead be required to take time off under the FMLA? I would think an employees sick leave would require the EMPLOYEE to be sick rather than a family member? Just asking.......
I want to endorse birdiedreamin!