We Could Be Heroes

Some public servants believe in sacrifice, giving a little to save the jobs of their fellow workers, helping out so they can continue to protect their community...

The Holland firefighters voluntarily have decided to refuse a 1 percent cost-of-living increase they will be due July 1. Instead, they will give back another half-percent of their pay.

The move is not part of any negotiation, said Brendt Sheridan, president of the Holland Professional Firefighters Union. The department just wants to help the city with its budget and prevent any cuts to the number of firefighters on the job.

The fire department already is at bare bones, said Sheridan, adding that any more staffing cuts directly will impact citizen and firefighter safety.

Other public servants may soon follow suit, even after they were used as a weapon for a political stunt that went nowhere...

Michigan State Police troopers will vote over the next week on whether to sacrifice some of their own pay in order to at least temporarily avoid the layoffs of 100 troopers.

The troopers' union said Thursday it will send out ballots to its members to decide whether they will accept unpaid furlough time in exchange for keeping the 100 troopers on the road until Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year.

...

Lawmakers were divided on the headquarters issue, with some noting the Senate-passed budget bill has no provisions to avoid trooper layoffs in the next fiscal year.

And some public servants have decided that they have given quite enough now, thank you - even as they work and they vote to take more away from the heroes listed above.

While most state employees must take six payless days off this summer to help erase the budget deficit, legislative staff will forfeit only two days, according to state officials.

Spokesmen for the House and Senate say the Legislature has been cutting back for a couple years and only needs to enforce two furlough days to meet spending reduction targets set by Gov. Jennifer Granholm in her executive order cuts last month. The legislative furlough days will be taken the Friday before the Fourth of July and the Friday before Labor Day. Today is the first payless day off for other state workers.

Lansing resident Mitchell Wood says he's upset by the apparent double standard.

"It's yet another appalling example of the elitism exhibited by our lawmakers," the 51-year-old attorney said.

It becomes very obvious that some public servants are only interested in serving themselves.

UPDATE: Looks like the cops have no interest in sacrifice either - they voted down the request and will lay off 100 cops. Everyone has forgotten that the MSP themselves made this choice, both with this vote, and the initial suggestion. This was their idea. Much as I love to yell at the legislature, they and the governor are not totally responsible here.