There’s a moment in every labor negotiation when the mask slips. The city and SEIU negotiations struggled once again today. The administration has simply stopped pretending they “value the SEIU workforce” and have shown exactly how disposable they think you are — their mask has slipped. For SEIU 32BJ workers across Allentown, that moment came the second the administration and their attorneys walked into negotiations with proposals that continue to undermine and undervalue the hardworking workers of the union.
Let’s be clear about who we’re talking about. These are the employees who take care of our city and improve our streets and take care of our parks. They are the employees who work in our Health Department who ensure the community is safe. They are the individuals who beautify our parks and execute our special events. They are the employees responsible for maintaining our failing city infrastructure with high expectations from the clueless mayor and very little financial support. These are the same employees that kept Allentown’s buildings open during a pandemic.
They are without any question the backbone of the city — the same city that now wants to “cut costs” by carving up their contract and balancing an inflated budget that gave fire and police all they’ve asked for without blinking an eye.
Management’s opening move?
Slash and gut benefits
Create a second‑class tier of workers
Undermine job security
Pretending inflation doesn’t exist
It wasn’t bargaining. It was a hit job.
Tuerk and his cronies love to talk about “shared sacrifice” and “showing up” but what exactly has he sacrificed? Tuerk’s mantra is that it is his way or no way. We saw this with the budget debacle that is still not resolved.
Our Public Works and Parks Maintenance crews are the people who keep the city from collapsing into chaos:
Roads cleared
Trees trimmed
Playgrounds repaired
Storm drains unclogged
Trails maintained
Snow removed
Parks safe and usable
Public spaces clean and functioning
They’re the ones who show up at 3 a.m. in a blizzard.
1996 Allentown Blizzard. I wanna see this!! NOT A PLOW IN SIGHT!
They’re the ones who haul debris after storms.
They’re the ones who fix the things everyone else takes for granted.
And yet, when negotiations begin, management suddenly develops amnesia.
They forget the overtime worked during emergencies was about your desire to take care of the city and not to pad a pension, so your calculation is high when you retire so you can further fleece the taxpayer. They forget the injuries took on the job because you were just doing your job.
They forget the public praise they showered when it was politically convenient FOR THEM!
SEIU – It is time remind management that the city’s quality of life depends on the labor YOU provide daily, the same labor that the mayor and city management have been undervaluing for so many years. What he does remember is his budget spreadsheet — and he expects the SEIU workers to pay the difference.
A failed negotiation is the moment workers stop asking for respect and start demanding it. You deserve a better contract. You all deserve respect and not just words when the mayor stops by your department to force a meaningless “thank you”. I hope that the workers finally said “enough,” and “we see just how fake you are” and are exploring strike options.
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18 comments:
Parasites one and all especially the last two, wondering who and what's life blood there sucking to be so falumpshoeious?
Again, the same thing is happening with the ASD. Very overpaid administrators refuse to bargain in good faith with custodial workers. This is your Democratic Party at work. Good for me, but not for thee peon.
That’s Vicky Kistler? Isn’t she in charge of Health? I guess there are no minimum health standards for being a Health Director in Tuerk’s administration
Like putting Affa in charge of Public Safety. Make it make sense.
the real reason tuerk is likely giving a raise to all of his directors is because he’s hoping to attract fired, out of town federal workers to allentown with this work for america boondoggle. a DC bureaucrat ain’t coming to allentown for cheap…
Hey Affa knows how to insult people at a council meeting. Leave her alone.
Grow a set of balls SEIU and STRIKE!!!
How can Tuerk even negotiate a contract without a budget? I better get a discount on my property tax and trash increase since it isnt in effect yet.
Even that many looks like Bigfoot tureks yes people are the picture of health that look in there eyes question what's upstairs besides too me me me.
The SEIU trough slopping swine are like all other Unions in America run by greedy fat corrupt Jimmy Hoffa type gangsters who shake down their underlings to enrich themselves and exert power. Glad to see Matt take off the kid gloves and manhandle these feral swine, and his sneakers matching his tie while the laces match the shirt is just next level fashion he exudes my wave chic
That may be true about unions, but I can tell you that the SEIU staff have been mistreated over and over again by the administration and their Union representation. The fat cats in NY are out of touch at the local level, and the President of the Union locally does not properly represent the members.
The real slopping swine in Allentown is the Fire, followed closely by the Police. If you need proof, take a look at the publicly available pension data and contracts that Matt Tuerk rushed through ahead of a reelection campaign. The proof is in the corruption and favoritism.
Tuerk hasn’t been able to pass a budget so my recommendation is that every resident of Allentown subtract 3.94% from their bill and annotate on the invoice that it’s the “Failed budget discount“. I know that’s what I’ll be doing.
Vicky is the director of CED.
Off topic, but can anyone explain why the APD shooting wasn’t reported for over 24 hours, and that the names of those responsible for the Lights in the Parkway damage is being covered up?
I don’t think there was anything wrong with the APD shooting, but details of such incidents should be immediately released.
On the Lights in the Parkway case, I have to wonder if the Mayor is being paid off to keep it quiet.
The silence in both incidents makes me wonder about our new DA as well.
She must be protecting the theft of those on 7th main street food farce. The only industry guaranteed to lose money on failing enterprises except for me me me and conflicts are cedc.
I am not surprised that the negotiations are failing. They have a bargain bin Solicitors office with Rosenberger in control. He is only successful at getting himself more money. It has been rumored that the HR Director is not qualified and has no formal education at all.
I guess we shouldn't expect any less from Tuerk's "Dream Team".
Do they know who did the damage at Lights?
I heard it was another Matt Tuerk publicity stunt to get him more media exposure. He starts to twitch after three days if he hasn’t been on camera.
8:32 - They’ve known who did the damage from a few days after it happened. It’s being covered up.
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