Lots of rumors and false information has been swirling around the city regarding the negotiations with the employees’ union AFSCME for a successor collective bargaining agreement.  If it were just a matter of “he said, she said,” we could take these rumors with a grain of salt.  However, nothing beats documented proof in the form of emails to get at the truth.

I made a public records request with our City Clerk for copies of all email correspondences between the city’s labor attorney, Luke Savage, and AFSCME negotiator, Manny Anon.  What I received was quite revealing.  Here is a list in chronological order of these emails:

1.  On March 6, 2012, Mr. Savage wrote to Mr. Anon, advising the latter of the city’s intention to begin negotiations.  Mr. Savage offered to meet with union officials on March 28, 2012, March 28, 2012, April 4, 2012, April 5, 2012 and April 6, 2012.  He asked for Mr. Anon’s availability on those dates.  He also asked for a “commitment from AFSCME for additional bargaining dates throughout the remainder of April and May.”

2.  On March 8, 2012, Mr. Savage followed up with another email to Mr. Anon, again asking for the dates he will be available to begin bargaining.  He also offered union representatives the opportunity to meet in advance of the “bargaining cycle,” for “preliminary meetings” in order “to discuss any issues they might have.”

3.  On April 2, 2012, Mr. Savage again write to Mr. Anon, advising that he had written twice before and is still waiting for a response.  Since March had come and gone by this time, Mr. Savage offered to start negotiations beginning April 9, 2012 through April, 12, 2012.  He also asked Mr. Anon to provide him with future dates that his team would be available “so that [they] can commit to an expeditious and efficient bargaining schedule.”  Mr. Savage also reminded him that “time is of the essence.”

4.  On April 16, 2012, Mr. Savage received an email, not from Mr. Anon, but from City Manager Lyndon Bonner, which was a forwarded email from ASFCME President Janice Coakley.  She wrote, “Listed are the dates that were provided to me from Manny Anon, Chief Negotiation:  June 5, June 7 and June 15.”  She asked Mr. Savage to inform her “of dates and times of availability.”

Apparently, Mr. Anon was on an extended lunch hour since March 6th.

5.  On April 26, 2012, Mr. Savage sent an email to both Mr. Anon and Mrs. Coakley, advising them that he has been requesting “bargaining dates since early March.”  He reiterated that he has offered Mr. Anon “the dates of March 29th, 29th, April 4th, 5th, 6th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th,” admonishing him that he has received “NO RESPONSE.”  He also stated that “the city is not in a financial position to wait any longer.”  In response to Ms. Coakley, he wrote, “THE CITY ACCEPTS ALL THREE DATS:  JUNE 5, JUNE 7 AND JUNE 15.   We can start at 9:00am on those dates and I am available all day.”   Mr. Savage also AGAIN requested dates in May “to begin bargaining.”

6.  On April 27, 2012, Mr. Anon FINALLY wrote back an email to Mr. Savage.  HALLELUJAH, PRAISE THE LORD, AND PASS THE POTATOES!  It only took him FIFTY THREE DAYS to respond to Mr. Savage’s initial email.  Unfortunately, Mr. Anon ignored all of Mr. Savage’s requests to meet in May and Ms. Coakley’s offer to meet in June, and wrote, “My understanding is that Mrs. Coakley provided the city with July 1, 2012 as a date.”

WTF?  DID HE NOT READ ANY OF THE EMAILS PRIOR TO THIS?

7.  On the same day, April 27, 2012, Mr. Savage wrote to Mr. Anon, “This is not the case and that is absolutely unacceptable.”  Mr. Savage then reiterated his laundry list of dates that he had offered since March 6, 2012, and that he has “been ignored completely.”  He also stated that Mrs. Coakley was the one who stated that Mr. Anon gave her the dates of June 5, 7 and 15 and that she relayed those dates to Mr. Bonner.  Mr. Savage again accepted those dates in June and again requested additional dates to begin negotiations during the month of May.  He again reminded Mr. Anon that “the City is facing great financial challenges and this cannot wait any longer.”

8.  On May 2, 2012, Mr. Savage sent an email to Mr. Anon simply stating, “MANNY, I NEED A RESPONSE.”

9.  On May 3, 2012, Manny Anon wrote to Mr. Savage, “Luke please review our current contract.  My understand [sic] is that we have up to July 1 to provide dates.”  He then claimed he would be ready to meet on July 1, 2012, and came up with an excuse that “My emails have been having problems and I’m not getting them.”

I guess that’s the new “my dog ate my homework” excuse.

10.  On May 3, 2013, Mr. Savage wrote to Manny advising him to “read the Collective Bargaining Agreement.  Article 27, Section 2, state, in part, that “Either party may require, by written notice to the other, between April 1, 2011, and not later than June 1, 2011, discussions concerning modifications, amendments and renewal of this Agreement to be effective October 1, 2011.”  After reminding Manny that the city has “repeatedly provided you and Ms. Coakley with written notice of its requirement that the parties begin negotiations,” Mr. Savage stated that he is “not aware of anything in the Agreement prohibiting or limiting negotiations before July 1st.”  He further smacked Manny by telling him that it is “absolutely unacceptable” that he and Janice have kept “ignoring and avoiding [his] repeated requests for bargaining dates,” and that he finds “it highly unlikely that [Manny] has been unavailable since March.”

Yeah, so do I.

11.  On May 3, 2012, a thoroughly chastised Manny responded with, “Maybe it was June now.  I’m sorry Luke I will call Janice to read it 2 me.  I thought it was July 1.  If not we will comply with the dates the City Manager gave Mr. Moore last night.  However, I cannot be in attendance until after June 22 which means we will be limited at the table 2 wat we can do.  Thanks.”

I certainly hope that Manny’s negotiation skills are far superior to his writing skills.  The union members must have such incredible blind faith in his abilities to represent their best interests.

12.  On May 4, 2012, Mr. Savage corrected Manny by stating, “It is not “June.”  The contract says that the parties are required to bargain upon request by the other.  (Um, Mr. Savage, surely by now you must suspect Manny’s ability to actually read anything, much less a contract.)  Again Mr. Savage reminded him of his requests to start the bargaining process since March 6, 2012 (NEARLY TWO MONTHS EARLIER!), and told him, “No more excuses.  We need to get to the table.  The only thing limiting what we can do is ASFCME’s failure to come to the table.”

Ya think?

That is the last email of which I have a copy.  I don’t know if there were any more correspondences, but seriously, folks, WASN’T THAT ENOUGH?  It took almost two months to the day just to squeeze a starting date out of the union.  Imagine how drawn out the actual negotiations will be if they ever even get to the table.

So, there you have it.  Next time someone tries to tell you a sob story that the city won’t negotiate with the union, just print out this column and hand it to him.  Better yet, I’ll be happy to provide anyone with a copy of the smoking gun emails upon request.

The North Miami Beach ASFCME union is playing by the same Alinsky handbook that all unions are provided with the minute they file for a charter.  We already know they’re out to screw the public, i.e., taxpayers, for every last penny they can gouge out of the city’s coffers.  The real shame is that employees bank on their unions to represent them in good faith and tell them the truth.  Union leaders only tell their members the “truth” they want them to hear.  Employees would actually fare much better without the union middleman, which is nothing but a dues sucking machine, which dues the union then spends to buy corrupt politicians who will keep the gravy train going.  The only “winners” are the unions and those elected officials whose votes are for sale.  In this vicious cycle, the real losers are the employees AND the taxpayers.

Little wonder that cities all over the country are scrambling to privatize as many services as they possibly can.  Aside from the financial savings that could be realized, an even better reason is to get out from under the oppressive thumb of public unions.

If North Miami Beach does decide to contract out its garbage department, and eventually other departments, the employees have no one to blame but their own union representatives.

Stephanie Kienzle
“Spreading the Wealth”