It's unforgivable what the Mayor and so many members of The City Council have done to Kansas City's first line of healthcare.
If the tea party really took their politics seriously they would be up in arms about what has been done to MAST simply because of a backroom Union deal among politicos.
Let's just look at a few ways this deal has mislead Kansas City:
They promised the HOSTILE TAKEOVER OF MAST would save money, it hasn't. They actually need more.
Politicos said the transition of MAST to quasi-private to run by The City would be smooth. Nothing could have been further from reality.
They said they would maintain the expertise that has made MAST such a highly rated organization. Now it has been reported: No top MAST managers to be in merged operation
Of all the things the Mayor and City Council have done wrong, this is the worst because it impacts poor & minorities more than anyone.
LOCAL 42 LEADERSHIP HAS SHOWN NO INTEREST IN PROTECTING LOW INCOME AND MINORITY COMMUNITIES FROM THIS BOONDOGGLE SINCE THIS MOVE WILL HIT THESE AREAS THE HARDEST!!!
In the final analysis, it's easy to see that the takeover is about pensions and job protection with no real interest in the health of Kansas City . . . Financially, the consequences for both Fired Department Workers and the remaining MAST employees might be dire. Nobody wins when political deals determine local government policy. Tragically, the lives of so many people in Kansas City depend on salvaging this mess created by politicos who put their special interests first.
Come on Tony! You don't think that there is ANY interest in improving the quality of life for the MAST employees?! You know what it could possibly be like to spend 12 hours in an idoling car? Local 42 is trying their hardest to protect the members and give them better living conditions! MAST managers have no interest in improving the quality of life for their employees, let em go, they don't provide the service to the public, the EMT's and paramedics do that!
ReplyDeleteyou really should quit taking your marching orders from Lesa Gonzalez. Think for yourself, don't let that dingbat do it for you!
ReplyDeleteThis all started with the city wanting the fire fighters in the city insurance, so for that to happen local 42s said tey wanted mast. guess what it happened and we all still get shitty insurance.
ReplyDeleteIt was also suppose to be smooth transition, guess what, it is not. They are panicing due to 4 weeks left and they still don't know shit. It is getting worse around here by the day.
First, if anything, ambulance coverage will improve. Minority communities right now have ambulance coverage that FAR EXCEEDS that of the wealthier neighborhoods. Drive by the area of Cleaver II and Troost. You will NEVER find an ambulance missing from the area of UMKC.
ReplyDeleteNever mind that areas far south, east, or far north are not getting coverage. If anything, the coverage for the inner city is at the expense of better coverage for the rest of the city.
This will change. Geographic coverage will improve. It is simply not fair to punish the more affluent areas of the city because they don't call an ambulance as much as the poorer areas. That's what happens now. Areas that get a lot of calls are rewarded, areas they don't get many calls are not covered. People still live there but they don't have the same response times. Under KCFD, this disparity is decreased.
Second, those "top managers" you beatify are obviously playing lip service to the whole process. The way their contracts were structured, conveniently enough, if they quit BEFORE the merger, they can pocket hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The reality is that what one defines as a "top manager" is debatable. The people actually running the calls, doing the work, facing the public, those front-line managers are still with MAST and they were the ones with the years of experience in this system on the streets, not pushing paper.
I love how an unashamed unemployed guy who brags about living in his mom's basement (you Tony) is making these laughable proclamations about the MAST employees. I cannot think of a more unqualified person to judge the merits of a financial decision than you.
Morale for Mast and City employees is at an ALL time low.
ReplyDeleteMost everyone I know has no motivation to work due to the confusion and ambivalence of our city government.
Then they need to find new jobs so we can get some motivated people.
ReplyDeleteTony, Tony, Tony. It's no secret you chose to fight the merger, and I too agree that we shouldn't jack with something that isn't broken. And I was pleased with MAST the way it was.
ReplyDeleteIm no friend of big city arm-twisting, extortionist unions but it's expected things will be up in the air during the transition. It'll smoothen out. I don't expect an FD run service will be run by "That's not my Job" Teamsters.
Lets just chill out and let em put it together and see after six months or a year if they make it work!
You raised all those problems only in GENERAL TERMS, Tony, but didn't back up a single one with specifics. That's unfair, given how nitpicky you are with the mayor.
Put some effort into your cheap shots, Tony!
Don't worry most everyone I know at the City is already looking for other jobs.
ReplyDeleteThat way there will be a brain drain and KCMO will be stuck with the bottom of the barrel.... then the taxpayers will really pay for incompetence, the same incompetence as our city council.
The money grubbing corporate types just walked out of the door with $700,000, while some guy with the Parks department or a clerk at City Hall got a pink slip. How many City jobs could have been saved by booting these greedy Enron types and keeping the money?
ReplyDeleteVaya con Dios huh, Tony?
Kansas City is so screwed. We must have the most inept city government in the United States.
ReplyDeleteThis John Sharp's mess. John Sharp pushed this plan. When John Sharp is involved citizens get screwed.
ReplyDeleteDon't blame the Police Department you City Fat cats have been living high on the hog for too long.
ReplyDeleteLesa Gonzales has taken A LOT hits when she tried to keep this screw up from happening. Cheap shots and job actions. She has been harassed and hounded on the job.
ReplyDeleteShe is proving to be right. She refuses to go along with the Union and the city council. She has the best interest of the citizens of Kansas City in the forefront. Lesa isn't your average activist. She came to this late in the game, but for damn sure she is keeping faith with her morals. Not so much the city hall and union toadies.
I see someone refuted tonys claim about the decrease in coverage. In all the complaining nobody has pointed out the fact that coverage is improving not getting worse and that is what people were most worried about.
ReplyDeleteThey layed off more city staff yesterday and today - due to budget reasons and other flimsy excuses. So why did they bring retiree John Franklin back on contract? It's another lucrative good ole boy deal! They arent' getting any smarter.
ReplyDeleteTONY! You are correct and thank you again. You only have to look at where the city is planning to cut cost to know the service is going in the dump. Required licenses are being cut to the bare bones allowed to work in the state. MAST has always required its employees to hold every relevant license (acls, phtls, btls, pals, national registry etc.) and now the brilliant minds at the FD are only going to require a state license. GOODBYE exceptional employees. HELLO every low qualified idiot..come on and apply here.
ReplyDeleteJohn Sharp made an appearance Tony's blog today. That's amazing.
ReplyDelete3:26, what is the proof that these merit badge courses make better medics? Do you have any proof other than your own agenda to push?
ReplyDeleteAnd do you understand the difference between a license and something like a CPR card? I don't think so. A license is a legal document. Holding some merit badge course card doesn't allow you to do anything except wave a piece of paper in the air.
If the courses are no longer required but the content is covered in some other fashion, then it makes little difference.
4:46 Put the pipe down. You receive the merit badge after listening to (hopefully learning) the content of the course.
ReplyDelete745, that was an amazing explanation. Really in depth and thoughtful.
ReplyDeleteAnyone in this cowtown who think that this boondoggle is going to make things better is higher than Marion Barry with a Crack Ho. This city clowncil has had one item on their agenda since this issue arose; DO WHATEVER UNION BOSS LOUIE WRIGHT TELLS THEM TO!
ReplyDeleteWe have hardworking city employees being laid off. We have 50% of our public schools closing. We have a city E-tax that, if repealed, will undoubtedly further reduce an already thin menu of city services. But, because Firefighter Union Prez Louie Wright taps his foot in the stall of City Councils restrooms, a large majority of our cities politicos are willing to jump through the most ridiculous of hoops. For example, recently a 30 million expenditure was approved to fund a pension system for the MAST employees. This funding was to give them a service credit for up to 25 years of employment with the ambulance service...NOT city service, the AMBULANCE service. Our city tax dollars are going towards funding past service credits for non-city employees? WHAT THE FUKC?!?
As far as improving the working conditions of those people...if they werent happy sitting out their shifts in an ambulance maybe they should have chosen another line of work.
I hate to say it, and wont ever tell her to her face, but LESA G. WAS RIGHT! THis is a shitty idea with poorly planned details being run by a corrupt Union tyrant and it will cost the citizens millions more than they expect.
1019, if the big bad "union bosses" (are you reading some mob books or what?) had the city by the throat as you claim, why are the fire fighters getting wage freezes and worse health insurance coverage? Why are MAST employees losing their overtime? Why are they taking a wage freeze? Why did their health insurance go up? Why are they going to have to pay MORE for this pension than current city employees?
ReplyDeleteBecause that's the negotiation. In your black helicopter tin foil hat world, there the Man in the back calling the shots. Instead, it's a give and take.
IN exchange for some credit into the pension, they gave up certain things.
As for these "non city employees" you need to read the news for the past year. They're city employees as of April 25 and, like ALL OTHER city employees, they will be part of the pension. They have been working for an organize run by the city, paid for by the city, serving the city, that was a creation of the city for 30 years. HELLO? That's part of the city.
11:16 "Yella-Fella" is that you? Yes I know your going to have a wage freeze as of April 25, but will you be getting a raise April 24? (Unlike ALL OTHER city employees). And your health care was negotiated by Wright with your current employer MAST. AND like all city employees, his "calling the shots" has caused EVERYONES insurance costs to go up...blame Wright. Better yet, ask him how long he has been in bed with the insurance Broker?
ReplyDeleteMAST losing their overtime? Ask KCFD guys about thier overtime and their n-days and their insurance and their pay freezes and their other "TEP's" utilized to fund the goody bags you at MAST get. But ask quick Yella-Fella because I hear you MAST pukes only have to work only 18 months for the city before you get to draw a full pension that you didnt have to fund.
So when your retired and relaxing somewhere strumming your acoustic guitar badly, try to remember all of the little people you and Der Fueher screwed over to get to that point!
You can always tell when the FD union people post.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand where you're getting this BS from that this move will hurt the low income folks of this city. Ever wonder why theres that ambulance at 43 and troost? Oh yeah yeah cause the "Low income folks" abuse the system and we run are asses off picking up bullsh0t all day and night. The coverage for the low income ghettos will actually improve. Get off your soap box Tony.
ReplyDelete6:09, I don't know the "yella fella" or whoever. But the facts are that, as we near the deadline for integration into the city, more and more people are supporting this. If anything, the naysayers and general whiners and haters are being proven wrong over and over and over.
ReplyDeleteOther than whining, and pissing in everyones soup, what have YOU accomplished?
Let me start by saying, The MAST employees are amongst the best EMS people in the Nation. With that being said lets look at the known changes and the usual impact of those changes.
ReplyDelete1.) chop off the head of the beast and place inexperienced leaders in charge. Impact---Obvious (kcfd leaders have never ran an ambulance service and have opposed all attempts by mast and the city to improve)
2) Eliminate the education dept.---I signed your recert papers. did you sign mine?--any questions there?
3) Poor performance at mast is dealt with harshly by the QI/QA dept. sometimes to the point of termination---has anyone ever been fired from the Fire dept for poor performance? some of the antics of the fire dept have even been documented on the local news and still nothing is done
Lets recap----no experienced leadership---no education--no accountability---no requirement to keep the National Registry or any of the Merit Badges, only a state license that only requires a management signature to renew every 5 years.
1:15 pm...So are you saying that the MAST members DIDNT get a sweet deal on their pensions when othe city employees got laid off? That the city somehow FOUND 30 million for you MAST (not Kansas city) employees pensions, while lowering the KCFD Employees overtime AND freezing our salaries? That alot of you MAST employees DONT gey raises on April 24th (before you are officially City employees) ? Call it what you will...you guys got the sweetest of all deals while we Fire Dept employees (and the rest of the city workers got fukced to pay for it! You just keep drinking your koolaid and I will be over here with a growing majority of the KCFD, pissing in your soup.
ReplyDeleteHey debaters, If I didn't know better I would think you are not on board with all of this. I know you are on board because Louie Wright says you are.
ReplyDeleteI fully understand your frustration with all of this and believe me, this is just the beginning
3:44,
ReplyDeleteI like the claims about QI/QA being "harshly dealt with". Laughable. Too bad you and I know this isn't true at all. Oh, someone screwed up. Let's make everyone watch a video at a quarterly inservice. Yeah, real effective.
4:13, if you want to play victim and be the poor downtrodden KCFD victims, maybe you need to explain a few things about your benefits vs those of your local 500 counterparts.
ReplyDeleteWow, ok let me say this: If you work for MAST, go ask somebody if they get to keep their job. I'm a shoot from the hip guy and I wanted straight info. So I asked a few of the managers what their job status was. And guess what, most are keeping their jobs. QI is not going anywhere. The fire department leadership knows it is playing catch up and is bringing some MAST leaders over that know what they are doing. Others that are not needed are getting the axe. And to say the fire department leadership has no knowledge of EMS is just short sided. Do some research People!
ReplyDeleteHow did a former employee, come back as an assistant to the head of the nonexistent non-emergency transport division and then get promoted to management? Those D.S.L.'s are working overtime!
ReplyDelete