I write this petition as a person that actually voted for Tom Barrett, who stabbed me in the back and this is what it got me. In his 2010 Budget Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett is illegally furloughing all Milwaukee Police Officers, claiming their is no money to pay them, while at the same time, still hiring new ones and civilian Public Service Specialists (Part Time) to do police jobs, endangering the pubic.
There is no money he claims, but then there is for new equipment and all these other positions. Barrett takes the liberty upon himself of citing our contracts "letter and verse" when it is to the city's advantage to screw city employees, but then takes the greater liberty of ignoring the same contract when it is also to his personal advantage, where it would be clearly to the benefit of overwhelming majority of the union membership if he just followed what the contract states the solution is to the economic crisis but he refuses to.
Tom Barrett is supporting a frivolous measure to pay city contracts 5% above low bidder to any business that is a city based business, frivolously wasting money, while claiming a "financial crisis", while we all know that in a true financial crisis there would be no money to do this. In the Great Depression money was not wasted like this, while stealing his employees' money through illegal furloughs.
They are claiming "the police furloughs are being done "everywhere". Another blatant lie, by definition, as they being done, actually, "almost no where! I checked and out of 58 of the largest cites only 6 are furloughing police officers, including Milwaukee, some of the 6 the the furloughs were even chosen voluntary not, imposed. Detroit, Chicago, LA, New York, New Orleans, Newark, Minneapolis, Cleveland, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Miami, Tampa, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Denver, San Francisco, San Diego, St. Louis, Seattle, Portland, Nashville, Memphis, Washington DC, Providence, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Salt Lake City, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Hartford, are all examples of the cites that were responsible enough with their money management that the did not steal from their own employees arbitrarily. North, South, East West, Midwest, Southwest, East Coast West coast they all did but Tom Barrett couldn't do it!!!!!! His solution rob his employees through illegal furloughs already held to be illegal in 2 recent federal court decisions.
Barrett is by definition a liar and breaking the letter of the law for refusing to follow the very union contacts that he agreed to and swore to follow, which exactly provided for and specifically spelled out how to resolve this financial crisis. He refuses to follow the agreements he signed because it would be politically bad for his interests.
The contract specifically guarantees a 40 work week violation #1. The contract specifically guarantees that furloughs/layoffs are done only in order of seniority not across the board like he is doing, violation #2. There are many other major other metropolitan cities that were responsible enough to even get themselves in this situation and are not furloughing anyone.
In doing what is best for him politically, he is illegally furloughing all Milwaukee Police Officers several days, stealing thousands of dollars from their families, and ignoring seniority of employees of 20 to 30 years, who due to their seniority can not be laid off, but are now thanks to Barrett.
By signing this petition you are telling Tom Barrett that you do not agree with him stealing from working class families and endangering the public safety, with less police on the street and/or demoralized police officers. You are telling Barrett to follow his contacts or don't sign them in the first place!!!!!