Arbitration Arrives

At least according to Shortshanks, who once again, throws the negotiations out there in the media in violation of the "gentleman's agreement" not to do so:

• Mayor Daley said Wednesday he’ll roll the dice and ask an independent arbitrator to dictate new contracts with police officers and firefighters who must do their part to help solve the city’s financial crisis.

  During his annual State of the City address, Daley noted that public safety employees who account for 70 percent of city spending were excused from a cost-cutting plan that required other city unions to choose between layoffs and furlough days and other givebacks.

  “They’re not in the boat. We’re in the boat. ... They have to come back to the boat. ... We’re asking them to get back in the boat. Talk to your taxpayers. Talk to your neighbor. They have to be part of the solution and not part of the problem,” he said.

The FOP is unhappy:

• Fraternal Order of Police President Mark Donahue reacted angrily to Daley’s decision to pull the trigger on arbitration, a potentially risky move for both sides.

  “It sounds to me like the mayor hit his head on the boat when he was getting in. We’re still in negotiations with the city. We negotiate in good faith. It’s up to the city to show us that as well,” he said.

So far, the FOP is one of only three or four unions refusing to even consider givebacks to the city and they've actually played their hand decently. Other union leaders in the midst of selling out their members, are attempting to portray the Police and Fire Departments as greedy and out of touch and the media gives them play. The FOP really ought to slap back hard at Daley - his chronic mismanagement, his lies, his fake numbers, his two-faced negotiating in the media via intermediaries, his use of Chuck Goudie and other compliant media types to paint concessions we've made over the years in terms of allowances instead of raises to help hold the line on taxes and fees.

Daley is in a bad spot and arbitration is a risky move for all parties. The issues that are the subjects of "letters of agreement" could be in jeopardy and who knows if any of these will stand without a vote from the members?