Who is Benita Ransom? Where did she come from? Oh, that's right, she came from the City of Atlanta, she's one of Boo-Rail's girls. Look at the fine shape she left those employees.
Grab a cup, pull up a chair and enjoy!
Friday, July 29, 2011
Gobbledygook!
On my! Looks like Benita Ransom has done kicked the beehive.
Who is Benita Ransom? Where did she come from? Oh, that's right, she came from the City of Atlanta, she's one of Boo-Rail's girls. Look at the fine shape she left those employees.
Grab a cup, pull up a chair and enjoy!
Who is Benita Ransom? Where did she come from? Oh, that's right, she came from the City of Atlanta, she's one of Boo-Rail's girls. Look at the fine shape she left those employees.
Grab a cup, pull up a chair and enjoy!
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37 comments:
Big Vern made the change to police on the 4/3 plan. He was trying to boost morale.
Lil Vern' appointee has killed the morale with all her budget saving ideas. Lil Vern has to have known about this and approved it.
She screwed the employees in Atlanta and retired. Now she working here.
What a recruitment package for new officers with her plans. We will only get the ones who cant get employment elsewhere.
When did the FOP become a union. She is a clueless woman.
One of the biggest problems between the commission and the employees has always been the lack of communication. The pension board is a prime example. I agree with what Commssioner Johnson has to say on this matter and it may be a new beginning on real communication and mutual respect between employeer and employee. Let's give it a chance. This also has to be the worst time in history to be the chief of police in Dekalb County. Give Bill O'Brien a break. Thanks to Jeff Wiggins for all of his efforts and thanks to this blog for getting the information out to everyone. Some of the comments are not always constructive but this blog has been a major vehicle for positive change and bringing previously ignored problem to the forefront. The police officers fully realize that there is a negative economic situation and they realize that they will have to sacrifice like other employees but they also see that not all are in the "sacrifice" pot. The sacrifice needs to be equal. Be advised also that police work in the metro area is a dangerous and stressful occupation compounded by court hearings, extra jobs and other things that the regular citize or county employee may not have to deal with, so let's do the best we can, being respectful to each other.
Officers, I was just ruminating on something I've seen mentioned around the closely connected civilian and police gun circles here in Georgia. It occurred to me to ask if I could address it here with you and your colleagues.
It has to do with some misconceptions surrounding the legality of Open Carry with out a license (16-11-128).
Please check my recent blog post on the subject and feel free to address me anonymously via my blog as referenced by my posting information.
Best regards, Montieth.
If you look at the email she sent out, it says that in order to make up the 2 hour difference from 8 to 10 hours, the officer will have to take 2 hours vacation or comp time. It specifically says you cannot take sick or the 2.5 hours they give us as a 062 code, to make up the difference. Now why can't you just take the 062 code? The 062 code is not 2.5 hours they give us, it is our the lunch hour (1/2 hour times 5 equals 2.5 hours) that we don't receive or get an opportunity to take. Why don't we all start clocking out 14 minutes before our shift ends everyday and then expect compensation for the lunch that we don't have time to take. I can just hear the butts down in Decatur squeezing up at the thought of paying out all that overtime everyweek.
They are scared. Now is the time to stick to our guns. WARNINGS, WARNINGS, WARNINGS!!!
GOOD LORD... Does ANYONE know ANYTHING about the day to day operations in this county? I foresee a lot of holiday back pay being extracted from our bank accounts. Hope no one is still using direct deposit.
Stay the course and stay united...you have their attention. But you need to let the CEO know you mean business. He needs to feel the budgetary constraints because he certainly didnt question the changes made to Holiday accural, pay, etc when he signed off on it now did he?? Police, fire and 911 need to STAY STRONG AND PROUD. Their not knowing about these issues since 2002 is a way to put the issue on a back burner until a committee can obtain facts and documents for review. If they dont immediately take action on the Holiday issue and reinstate as it was, I would not take them too seriously. Rescind the changes made to Public Safety until a review can be completed. That is only fair!
so the police are ENTITLED to 100 hours a holiday pay and the rest of the employees of the County should only get 80?
Oh yeah I forgot, you are special. More important than anyone else in the entire world.
Whinners
That conversation made it appear that the County Employees (Ms. Ransom) are running amok without the Commissioners or the CEO's oversight. Ms Ransom has the ability to make decisions that create this situation. The way the system should work is that a person, like Ms. Ransom, is put into her position and left to perform her duties because she is competent and can be counted on to make decisions that are beneficial to the county. At the same time her job is one in which she has to consider the effect on the employees. Unfortunately Ms. Ransom was hired from Atlanta after having the same effect she is having here. The responsibility for her actions DOES directly reflect on the CEO and the Commission since they are the ones responsible for her being hired/ fired and policy decisions for this county. Maybe the derisive comments toward the Commssion and the CEO were appropriately aimed. Sorry Commissioner Johnson, we didn't erroneously make our accusations. You and the other Commissioners and the CEO need to acknowledge your responsibilities, not only to the tax paying public but to your employees. Your postion is not one I relish, but then again, I didn't ask to be elected to that position. This one cutback to our benefits and pay is not a big thing by itself, but, when coupled with the following we feel we have to give voice to our frustrations: 1) No Raises in....4 or 5 Years? (I can't remember since it has been so long), 2) Increased Health Insurance Payments while getting poorer coverage from the current choice of insurance providers, 3) Furlough Days (again I can't remeber how many since there were since there were so many), 4) Our Pension Contibution Being Doubled, 5) The Amount of Vacation Time and the Accrual of That Time. My take home pay is now $250 a paycheck less than it was several years ago. Add to that the threat of doubling my Pension Contribution again next year, what do you think our reaction would be? Also, by going by the track record of the the Dekalb County Board of Commisioners as an entity, what we are loosing now will never be recouped. Commissioner Johnson, you may not respond to anonymous statements such as this but with the track record of the County Government's retaliation against those that do not please them, how else are we supposed to have ourselves heard? Hurray for the Special Tax District for the Police Department and the Tax Hike. These are positive steps, if used appropriately, but I haven't seen the positive effects of these steps yet while I keep losing money now! WE HAVE HAD IT WITH WORKING HARDER THAN MOST OTHER OFFICERS IN OTHER DEPARTMENTS WITH OLD, SHODDY EQUIPMENT CREATING A MORE DANGEROUS SITUATION IN A JOB THAT IS ALREADY EXTREMELY DANGEROUS WHILE CONTINUOUSLY BEING TOLD TO WORK HARDER AND DO MORE FOR LESS AND LESS AND LESS!!!!!
To Anon 4:13, you are an idiot, or the head of HR. But I repeat myself. I will type this very slowly so that even an evolutional u-turn like you can understand it. Try to keep up: If you work 5 days at 8 hours a day, you will earn 80 hours (or 10 days) per year for holiday accrual, based on a 5 day per week schedule. A 4 day a week, 10 hour a day employee earns 100 hours, or...wait for it...10 DAYS ANNUALLY!!! 100 hours divided by a 10 hour workday equals 10 days of leave. Hmmm...10 days...10 days...sounds like the EXACT SAME AMOUNT OF DAYS EARNED. It is based on the schedule worked. I know that 100 hours is more than 80 hours if earned during a 5 day work week, but based on the 4 day on, 3 day off schedule that police work, it comes out the same. If we worked 8 hours and got holiday credit for 10 hours, you would be right. But we don't.
Look at the bright side: you will never have to spend your pennies on a MENSA membership.
Anon 4:13 - hey dumbass do the math, we work 10 hr days and get 10 hrs credited holiday times which totals 100 hours (10 holidays) you also get 10 holidays credited at 9 hrs (80 hrs). Point is we both get 10 holidays, when I take a day u get 8, when we take a day we get 10. it all works out the same.
Ms. Benita Ransom, please let me give you your idea, but in a different way. The Intrinsic value of 10 x 4 and 8 x 5 is one and the same; 40 hrs. If what you are saying is true, then the intrinsic value of an officers work day on a holiday is 8 hrs and not 10. Therefore all officers who work on a holiday should only work 8 hrs shifts. If this is not true, then you are wrong in your statement. Now choose which intrinsic value are you stating is fact. You can only have one value for this equation, anything more means that you are wrong and you know it.
Thank you BOC for at least listening to us and hopefully you will restore our Holliday pay and look at the vacation and sick time that was also taken from us.
annon 4:13..you get 80 because yuo dont work on those days..quit YOUR whining and shut the hell up... matter of fact on your next 8 hr holiday..call me to see if I am at work... my work number is 911....
-Diva
I was under the impression that we're only allowed to carry over so many holidays per year. If you don't use them, you lose them. With us being as shorthanded as we are, you end up losing. Ms. Ransom wants you to believe we're getting an extra 20 hours of holiday time per year, when the fact is, we end up losing holidays because we can't use them.
Chief O'Brien did bring up an interesting point, Ms. Ransom. Since 2002, we've been working 10 hour days. If we got suspended for 1 day, we lost 10 hours of pay. If a day is 8 hours, the county owes us all for the 2 hours they took from us. That's actually not true though, because I checked with a labor attorney, and when your employer illegally keeps wages from you, you are can sue them for 3 times the amount they kept from you. The catch is, you can only go back 3 years. So, Ms. Ransom, if you want to go down this path, we can too. If anyone served a suspension day in the last 3 years, you are entitled to 6 hours of pay for every day the county made you sit home for 10 hours instead of 8. And going forward, we can't be forced to take holiday, comp, or vacation time when we are only suspended for 8 hours. That is our time and we cannot be forced to use it. If we're suspended, we out for 8 hours, then come to work for 2.
We aren't taking advantage of the county because we end up losing holidays. But the county, according to Ms. Ransom, has been lining their pockets with our suspension days. They owe 6 hours of backpay for every day they suspended us!! Thanks, Ms. Ransom!
Ms. Ransom is the true version of a dingbat. I do not know what school she went to, I doubt if she graduated from anywhere with a degree in anything. This woman is more stupid than the word itself. It is a miracle that she can find her way getting out of bed in the beginning of the day, whenever that it is.
This dingbat is in charge of what dept at DC? This is a prime example of why the county is in such bad shape. Any friend or buddy of Vernon is on a path of destruction for their employer (in her case, her gifted pay check)
Thanks Vernon for all of your wonderful, dedicated, crooked employees that you have given us. I guess, your CEO replacement also had your teachings.
Mr. Johnson you are right we cant do everything we want do you know why?? Because you and the merry band of shit birds are sitting on your asse's eating free lunches on the tax payers back.
Catering in thousands of dollars worth of food, hell I buy my meals you buy yours since you do get a pay check.
And for ol Dick Stogner dont expect much from him , he is already been proven to be a liar in federal court, im sure what ever he knows he will not be telling your ass.
Mismanagement of funds is why the county is broke, well that and anything south of Lawrenceville Hwy that is business related is either a Chinese Buffet, Hand Car wash, Pawn Shop, Chicken Wing shack, Coin Laundry, etc etc. Now just how much revenue do you think their brining the county in tax dollars.
This county is solely funded by anything North of Lawrenceville hwy, anything south is just a shit hole where the citizens could care less about the well being of their enviorment.
And one more thing if you are not from the continent of AFRICA and born there stop calling yourselves African Americans! You are given the ones that are a bad rap.
Ms. Ransom stated in the video that "all we were asking
Police....is if someone has to work the holiday or if they want to take off the holiday they would get paid for 8 hours." This statement comes at 2:22 into the video. ASKING????? The answer is NO!!!!!! Next question?
hey anon 4:13pm
noone said more important, however our job is a little more dangerous than most of the county. When was the last time a garbage shot back? or hit back? or when was the last time a garbage back refused to be taken out.
The police are often compared to sanitation??? really...
Dumb ass BOC, you make it a point to state that Public Safety uses 60 percent of the budget, well god damn how many employees to we have on the payroll?? That cant be avoided, but I assure you we dont have nearly the equipment we deserve to be a full functioning department.
There is one way to get our point across, and thats to hit the County in the pocket. Chances are initially we will not get the equipment and the pay we need. However it shows that we run this ship, and we better start being appreciated. Maybe next time they think about spending 80,000 on three business trips, somewhere in the back of their mind maybe they will think twice.
Riddle me this? When does Sanitation Workers work 12 hrs? Lady are you smoking crack? They get off Marta at Memorial Dr at 0700-0715 hrs. They are getting back on Marta at 1500hrs..that is not 12 hours..please get a clue!!! Police,Fire Rescue and 911 Operators are the life-line of this county. Now if you want us to work 5 days a week, 8 hour shifts then tell the supervisors to start working on new schedules because if I'm not gonna get paid for the 10-12 hrs I work,then I want to be home with my family too..just like you are.
Anon @ 1009 hrs. Shit man you know those staple and paperclip fights can get dangerous!!! We have to do something to pass away those looongg 8 hour days..Let me break it down.. Get to work between 830-845..I have to get my coffee,meander and talk to my office compadres till 915, check and respond to emails till 10:00. Take a smoke break..10:30(I have to atleast get 2 cigarettes in)10:30 til 11:00 I'm on the Internet..browsing checking my bank account..11:00-12:00 I might start doing some work..12:00-1:15 at lunch..1:15-1:30 smoke break..2:00-4:00 I finally get some more work..4:00 I'm visiting other depts (just showing my face,catching up on a lil office gossip) 5:00...shoot it's time to go home..I need to leave NOW to beat the traffic..So you see that is a busy day for me and I'm tired..ready for the weekend!!!
Atleast that is how my day would go IF I was an 8hr employee!
To 8:38. So if I am a citizen living south of Hwy. 29 I don't care about the well being of my environment? Stonecrest mall does'nt resemble an outhouse. Maybe you are a bigot.
Anyone else think that this is a harbinger of 5 day weeks coming back?
According to the DeKalb County POlicy and Procedures Manual, holiday pay will be equivalent to a regular work day. TRanslation to that is: if you work a 10 hour regular workday ( i.e. police) then you WILL be paid for a 10 hour shift. Radio is working 12 hour shifts, their pay should be the same. When you signed for the Policy Manual, you were basically signing a contract with the county. If the county does not pay the police for a 10 hour day, they will be in breach of contract. I do know of atleast one attorney checking into this matter now
Well I'm gonna park the cars and get the luggage, and well, I'll be outside for the season.
As usual I see that no one particular comment is going to make everybody happy with this holiday pay discrepancy but public safety are the ones taking the stand. Public safety are the ones you call when you get in an accident, need medical treatment, had your property stolen or broken into, cant get along with your baby daddy or your house is on fire. Hell we even get the calls when parents can not control their off spring. The point is:::: the minute you make that call for help a critical component of the DeKalb County Public Safety family goes into action; from the 911 operator, dispatcher, to the line level uniform officer or the fireman/medic. Holiday, inclement weather , whatever is not a factor into our coming to work or not. Yes we all choose that line of work because we love the honor of helping those in crisis and take pride in the uniform/badge we all wear. The rest of you complaining about 8 hrs versus 10 or 12 hrs shift..who are non-sworn personell and who dont put your ass on the line everyday, I think you need to take your complaints to your Director. Are we the chosen ones??? Well you decide when you pick up the phone for help. Call 911 or call your boss or your Commissioner and then you tell me who got their 1st to save your ass. If it is after hours try 511, 311 or 211...someone might still be there to answer your call but I doubt it.
Fellow Officers please keep in mind this is just a prelude to upcoming pension increases, changes to a new pension plan and furlough days. They will keep spreading this out hoping we wont realize how bad we are being screwed
Chief O'Brien wasn't that the so called Chief Bolton that put in place the 10 hours shifts. He was the one who changed the hours for the Property Room to be opened on Saturdays so the public could have access.
According to Benita Ransom there are employees in Sanitation working 16 hour days. Really??? We only get 8 hours of sick a month. So, if I call in sick, is my time be entered and deducted at 8 hours, if so, what happens with the other 2? Are they taking from my vacation and comp?
ANSWER ME THIS: Back when we went to the 10 hour shift, the County deducted a chunk of my accumulated vacation and sick time, as they did to everyone else at the time. I cannot recall why they did that, does anyone else remember why?
Does anyone who has any time in their comp bank, really trust the County? You work one hour of overtime, your bank shows 1 hour, when it really should show 1.5 hours? The County says when you take time off using comp time, it will be assessed at time and a half. How do I know? It certainly doesn't reflect on the my paycheck.
The reduction in our accumulation of vacation time should then be assessed at 8 hours, it's only fair, using Ms. Ransom's math. So the max. is 360 hours, 360 divided by 8 equals 45 days, not 36 days for the 10 hour employee. I wonder how her math will work here???
Professional Police Officers should not be swiping a time clock like a fast food worker. No other agencies treat their employees like garbage as Dekalb does.
Benita looks foolish on this issue. When I met her on the EEO-4 issue I received about the same type bureaucratic nonsense on corrective action to balance the racial demographics of DeKalb government to match the population demographics. Lot's of angst over the low minority Hispanic population employee numbers, business as usual with the low white employee representation.
I got rightly thrashed by one the guys because I did not understand the full ramifications of the new HR policy. I was wrong and you were right, now lets concentrate on what y'all can do to help yourself with this issue.
This blog does make a difference, have you noticed how all the parties danced around the anonymous comments on this blog that have been dead on target?
You guys need some people presence at the BOC meetings, Jeff cannot advocate for you without some visible support. Seriously look at the FOP and talk to Jeff Wiggs, he's has been looking out for you guys for a decade, he needs your support.
Best of luck, mates!
KenC
If I still worked at DKPD, I would joing the FOP just because I see Jeff Wiggs, who I never met, do all that he does for the good of the officers and detectivs of the department. Wiggs trys to do more good for DKPd's bad situation than even the officers themselves and gets very little support from you guys as far as I can see.
All anyone needs to do is go look at the general orders for 2002 when they came up with 4/10 and see what we were told to do for payroll. I did payroll for awhile...had to go to headquarters for them to show me the correct way to log in hours. Need to see who signed off on the general order...it's that simple. You know Police didn't do paperwork without some sort of procedure that was signed off by the chief du jour.
LOL! Ran into some Sanitation guys today and said "how many hours a day do you guys work?" They said 8-10, sometimes a little more, but not typical to work more than 10. As Kathy Griffin would say, "Suck it!" Benita!!
16 hours?? If that's true at all, in any case, PRIVATIZE NOW!!
For all you MENSA applicants, here's how the holiday works out mathmatically. Employees are supposed to get the equivalent of 2 work weeks of holidays. Sheriff gets 8.5 hours because they work 42.5 hour weeks (even though some are on 10 hour shifts). Fire gets 10.75 hours for each holiday (even though they work 24 hour shifts).
What was given to us in 2003 in 40 hour work weeks and 4 day weeks, they can take back and put us on 42.5 hour weeks with 5 work days.
Why should a fireman who works 24 hour shifts only get 10.75 hours of pay for a holiday... because its based on their standard work week, not their work day. Maybe the county should give fire employees another 130 hours of holiday pay each per year in addition to the 106 hours (rounding) they get. That would probably put another 5 million dollar hole in the county's budget and delay any merit increase by another 2 or 3 years, if we ever get them back.
Who is the whiner complaining about taking too many suspension hours from us! Some of us don't have suspension that we have to worry about. I heard Decatur was talking to OB about only charging a standard 8 hours for suspension anyway, which would benefit you.
Don't jeopardize my holiday pay mixing it up with your suspension. If you talk about going back and getting your 2 back suspension hours, they'll start thinking about going back and snatching the "extra" 20 hours per year of holiday pay they say we shouldn't have been paid! Also, I don't want them to go back and say we owed them for 4 "10 hours" furlough days because if I remember correctly, my paycheck was only reduced by 32 hours last year for the 4 furlough days!
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