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Winter Park pays consultant $2,500 a day to help fight union organizing effort
Orlando Sentinel ^ | May 9, 2011 | Joseph Freeman

Posted on 05/10/2011 5:54:59 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife

Winter Park is paying a consultant $2,500 a day to help the city's staff dissuade about 150 city workers from joining a union.

Employees in the public works, parks, fleet maintenance and water departments are likely to vote in June or July on whether to join the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, known as AFSCME. In the past few years, the city has done away with longevity bonuses and pay increases because of the economy.

In late April, city commissioners voted 4-0, with Commissioner Carolyn Cooper not in attendance, to approve a contract with Kulture LLC, a firm specializing in labor relations. Under the agreement, the city will pay Kulture $2,500 a day, plus expenses, up to about $100,000.

Dressed in green AFSCME T-shirts, about a dozen employees showed up at Monday's City Commission meeting to state their position. Andrew Jordan, 24, who has worked in utilities for five years, said he and his co-workers just wanted "the same rights as the police and firefighters," who are unionized.

....Members of AFSCME have criticized the use of tax money to pay a group that they say has a politically right-leaning agenda. Kulture didn't immediately respond to a request seeking comment, but its website includes writings from a member of the Ayn Rand Institute, a group that promotes the author's philosophy of unrestrained capitalism, along with articles with titles such as "The Moral Justification of 'Outrageous' CEO Salaries."

Howard said she doesn't believe that political affiliations have anything to with the city's screening. "We didn't do a political background check on them."

(Excerpt) Read more at orlandosentinel.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: afscme; budget; kulture; publicemployees; union; winterpark
They should laugh in their faces.

Political!?

Guffaw!! Guffaw!! Guffaw!!


Florida Democrat Party Chair Rod Smith speaks at a rally for AFSCME's Council 79 2011
Lobby Day Tuesday, March 29, 2011 at the Leon County Courthouse in Tallahassee, Fla.

Florida Dem chair pins party’s hopes on redistricting, won’t rule out gov run

1 posted on 05/10/2011 5:55:04 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

I live in WP and will email people there today telling them to keep fighting the good fight!!!


2 posted on 05/10/2011 5:59:06 AM PDT by spacejunkie01
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
Winter Park is paying a consultant $2,500 a day to help the city's staff dissuade about 150 city workers from joining a union.

I bet that wouldn't be legal for a private company to do.

3 posted on 05/10/2011 6:00:14 AM PDT by Steely Tom (Obama goes on long after the thrill of Obama is gone)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

If they stop the union the money was a smart investment.


4 posted on 05/10/2011 6:00:58 AM PDT by Psycho_Bunny (Public employee unions are the barbarian hordes of our time.)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

How much is the union spending each day, to organize?


5 posted on 05/10/2011 6:01:18 AM PDT by G Larry (I dream of a day when a man is judged by the content of his character)
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To: G Larry
How much is the union spending each day, to organize?

I dare say a lot!

6 posted on 05/10/2011 6:07:36 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

If the consultant is successful, it will be well worth the cost. If he’s not, he should have to pay the city a percentage back!


7 posted on 05/10/2011 6:14:03 AM PDT by Tax-chick (Obama's "Gutsy Decision": Who's gonna tell the fool that he ain't cool?)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

How much will it cost Winter Park per day if the unions succeed?


8 posted on 05/10/2011 6:14:30 AM PDT by Paine in the Neck (Napolean fries the idea powder.)
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To: Paine in the Neck
In the past few years, the city has done away with longevity bonuses and pay increases because of the economy.

So I guess there is no money and thus there will be CUTS in the number of public sector (unionized) employees; job losses.

9 posted on 05/10/2011 6:17:11 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: Steely Tom
I bet that wouldn't be legal for a private company to do.

Sure is.

They're called labor lawyers, and along with other HR type consultants, they're engaged every day.

10 posted on 05/10/2011 6:18:19 AM PDT by Zakeet (U.S. Navy SEAL cocktail - two shots and a splash of water)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

As a Californian let me say if Winter Park can stop this organizing effort it’ll be money well spent!


11 posted on 05/10/2011 6:29:08 AM PDT by newzjunkey (Stay focused: Debt, Deficits & Immigration.)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

Laugh-line: “Members of AFSCME have criticized the use of tax money to pay a group that they say has a politically right-leaning agenda.” Tax money should only be spent on the left, of course!


12 posted on 05/10/2011 6:39:53 AM PDT by HarleyWoodrowMantz ('Puddintame! AFSCME again and I'll say the same')
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

Simple, Fire them all with prejudice,should be able to hire replacements in a week,given the state of this democrat economy!!


13 posted on 05/10/2011 8:17:48 AM PDT by Cheetahcat ( November 4 2008 ,A date which will live in Infamy.)
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To: Cheetahcat

Even better, you could hire people who knew something about the subject they were teaching (vs teaching methodology) — real world kind of education.

Our country would leap forward!


14 posted on 05/10/2011 9:03:32 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

“Even better, you could hire people who knew something about the subject they were teaching (vs teaching methodology) — real world kind of education.

Our country would leap forward!”

Exactly.


15 posted on 05/10/2011 9:04:48 AM PDT by Cheetahcat ( November 4 2008 ,A date which will live in Infamy.)
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To: Joe Brower; seekthetruth

Man I can do a much better job for just $2000.00 per day!


16 posted on 05/10/2011 10:11:14 AM PDT by tutstar
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To: Psycho_Bunny

Amen. I wonder what caliber he uses ;-)


17 posted on 05/11/2011 6:47:27 AM PDT by bigbob
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