Detroit cops abandon posts to protest pay cuts

Washington Examiner ^ | 11/20/2011 | Joel Gehrke

[Skeez]

Sixteen Detroit police officers failed to finish their scheduled shifts on Friday. The unannounced work-stoppage was an apparent protest against the Detroit mayor's planned reductions in pay for police, one part of a larger package intended to address the city's financial crisis.

The apparent protest was a "concerted effort isolated to one shift at one district," Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee Jr. explained in a statement. The police officers left during their 4-8 pm shift on Friday, according to the Detroit News.

Earlier in the week, Mayor Dave Bing warned police officers to expect a 10 percent pay cut in a speech outlining a series of budget control measures. "I do not want to cut boots on the street but we need police and fire to accept the same 10 percent cut in salary that the rest of our city employees have accepted," Bing told city residents on Wednesday. "Adding that savings to the cuts instituted across all city departments will save a total of $13 million dollars this fiscal year."

[Skeez]

The police officers left during their 4-8 pm shift on Friday...

Just in time for Happy Hour... Unbelievable.

[cripplecreek]

Dave Bing may be a democrat but he’s also a businessman and it shows.

[org.whodat]

Did anyone notice.

[apillar]

Hmmmm...4 to 8 pm, that would be 4 hours or 10% of a 40 hour shift. Sounds like they are sending the mayor a warning that if he cuts their pay 10% they are going to work 10% fewer hours. (not saying it's right, just seemed it was more than a coincidence that both would equal 10%)

[Colonel_Flagg]

Absent without authorization, leaving the public at risk.

Fire them.

[Retro Llama]

Atlas Shrugs.

[mvpel]

Fire them.

Sorry, the government's union b***h who negotiated the contract with the union agreed that they can't be fired for labor actions. Right?

[RobinOfKingston]

... their 4-8 pm shift ...

A four hour shift? If that is what it is, that's no shift. It's a break from your time off.

[Abathar]

I wonder if the city will riot like it did in Robocop...

[christx30]

People want to be paid for the work they do. There are probably other ways that the mayor can save money for the city, but he won’t let his pet projects go.

[cripplecreek]

Fire them.

This mayor just might. One of the first things he did when elected was to fire some 50 bus drivers who declared an informal strike. He declared that since bus service had been unaffected, their service was no longer needed. lol

[RitchieAprile]

thankless job to begin with.

[snowstorm12]

ummmm are they allowed to just walk out? why can’t they be replaced if they don’t want to work?

[maine yankee]

Did anyone notice.

The donut shops.

Looks like staff reduction.
16 less officers-16 less pensions.

That’s how you sharpen the pencil.

[GeronL]

welcome to the 3rd world

[org.whodat]

Dang, one donut shop gone.

[Track9]

Just imagine what would happen to them in the private sector.. but they’ll be coddled.. and of course.. payed. And their union thugs will get fawning face time on local networks.

[DManA]

He doesn’t have much freedom to screw up. He has X dollars to spend and NO ONE will loan him any more.

[Colonel_Flagg]

Sorry, the government's union b***h who negotiated the contract with the union agreed that they can't be fired for labor actions. Right?

Think Ronald Reagan and the air-traffic controllers. Maybe Dave Bing has a similar set of stones.

[Colonel_Flagg]

thankless job to begin with.

Agreed. But it's a job the taxpayers of Detroit are paying to have done. LEOs deserve support when they're putting their lives on the line. But when they walk off the job, the life that is on the line isn't theirs. It's those they are supposed to serve.