Commissioners received public testimony Tuesday from Teamsters Local 589 representative Dan Taylor, who said predictions of a budget shortfall in 2014 were false. Taylor said board Chairman Jim McEntire, who lost his bid for re-election against Mark Ozias on Nov. 3, had “been around the county and local community long enough to know the reality.”
An arbitrator ruled May 27 that Clallam County violated a collective bargaining agreement when it placed about 45 Teamsters employees on a 37½-hour workweek in January of 2014 and again in January of this year. “After losing in arbitration the grievance over a 37½-hour workweek, the county is suing the union to get the award overturned,” Taylor said. “This is the very reason that arbitration is in the agreement — to keep us from suing each other and driving up the cost. The board was so disingenuous and so arrogant, the union had no choice but to come after the commission. That is what we have done.”
“You, Jim, are a direct result of what a few hundred folks who were treated badly by you can do,” Taylor told McEntire, who was traveling for county business but participated in the meeting by phone. “The union will make the cost of getting elected in Clallam County much higher, if it does nothing else.”
Taylor then turned his attention to Commissioner Bill Peach and Jim Jones.
“Bill, make no mistake, we are watching you closely to see what you do in the future,” Taylor said.
“Jim Jones, I will remind you that it only takes two commissioners to make your at-will position belong to someone else. That, gentleman, is all there is to say.”
As always, one has to consider the source. In this case, someone who has no other duty in bargaining except to "get his members as much as possible" from the tax paying public. I, for one, applaud the Commissioners for trying to hold the line on employee costs.
ReplyDeleteI don't anyone begrudges the Commissioners for trying to keep costs down - it was the WAY they did it. They did it a way that voters thought was distasteful. The voters said we don't want people like Jim McEntire in charge. He's a bully and he doesn't represent our values. I thinks its that simple.
DeleteNot only that, but the way they did it violates Fair Labor Standards Act (federal law). This is pretty basic labor law and a stupid thing to do. If they did it knowing it was a violation of the law, then you have an agency willing to break the law to reach its ideological goals. If they did it unknowingly, then they are stupid. Either way, not good and costly to the tax payers. Additionally, they justified it by calling the hours reduction as a response to a fiscal emergency and then proceeded to build an unbudgeted cash reserve by $2.3 million dollars, all the while inflicting unnecessary suffering on their work force. That work force provides pretty necessary services like road maintenance, you know life safety stuff. Just not judicious use of public resources and blatantly harmful to all.
Delete"Hold the line on employee costs" while not holding much of a line by handing over one million dollars to the Port for their corrupt composites recycling scheme. In my opinion this is why port director, Ken O'Holloran jumped ship. Port Executive Director has to be one of the cushiest jobs in the state. Why would he leave? He knows this composites scam IS a scam and doesn't want to be in the top position when the shit train arrives.
DeleteYes, who ultimately benefited from that transfer of taxpayer dollars? Who got contracts to work on the buildings or provide architectural and engineering services?
DeleteSo, the Teamsters are taking credit for McEntires ouster?
ReplyDeleteSomeone must have given Dan a spine for his birthday this year. Still, he is coming late to the courage game, and he needs to be careful about saying things like "The union will make the cost of getting elected in Clallam County much higher." That sort of talk could easily backfire, and rile up the anti-union rightwingers.
ReplyDeleteIt was a bit surreal. The only people on the desk were Commissioner Chapman and Jim Jones. The other two disembodied voices, Peach and McEntire were on the phone but had little to say. McEntire was at a conference for County leaders. No one told him he was not needed since he is a lame duck. However, the county will pick up the expenses of his useless trip. Mark Ozias should have been the one attending but McEntire decided to have one more lap around the track. I cannot believe he would show his face in that group after the spanking he got at home. Dan did a magnificent job of addressing the issue and leveled a direct threat to Peach and Jones. It will be interesting to see how much "leadership" is exhibited by Peach since he can no longer linger in the shadow of McEntire. More interesting is how will county politics change now that Chapman has signed up as a card carrying Democrat. This could be the cusp of real change if they do not let the timber barons take over the county as McEntire nearly did. Also, keep your eye on Connie Beauvais, commissioner-elect at the Port of Port Angeles. Bill Peach was her campaign manager. Beauvais led the charge from the Charter Review Commission to get state trust lands reconveyed to the county so the timber barons can clear cut all the trees while the market is at the lowest it has ever been. Timber exports are up 300% while timber related jobs are down 75%. This is unsustainable my friends. It is time we decide if Port Angeles is going to be know as Tree Huggers or Tree Cutters. Most of those 4 million visitors per year come here to hug trees. No wonder they do not stick around to spend money when they look at all the fallen trees lining the water front. finally, we are 65 years overdue for the next sizable earthquake. When the next one comes and if there is a tsunami to go with it then all those dead trees will wash through town cutting off all the tsunami escape routes. Emergency vehicles will not be able to get around. Residents will be cut off from their escape routes. All this so Munroe can make a few more dollars. Step up folks, what's it going to be? Tree Hugger or Tree Cutter?
ReplyDeleteYour source for Chapman's official change of political allegiance is..?
DeleteCommissioner Chapman
DeleteAny leader who tries to maintain their position by bashing/blaming those who are following the orders of that leader...Well, let's just say those types of people aren't, in fact, leaders.
ReplyDeleteI would say that Mr Taylor is "spot on" with his assessment of the current political enviorment. Bullies are not welcome. People who are respectful and can work collaboratively with others are the type of people the voters want in office. This is the second example in recent history, the first being Sheila, of the kind of behavior that gets a thumbs down almost every time. There is a lesson here: nice people do succeed and get further in life.
ReplyDeleteWith Chapman now registered as a Democrat, and now the County so suddenly going from Republican control, to Democratic control, it will be interesting to see what happens.
ReplyDeleteMini-Me Peach must be thinking about how the votes are going to go, now.
Is Mr. Jones feeling secure?
Is Mr. Taylor taking credit for Mike's re-birth, too?
I'm glad he called the Commissioners and Jones out on it publicly with media present so it could be documented for the record. They've killed morale in the way they've been treating the employees and it results in cuts to service to customers as well. We ALL need to be keeping a closer eye on our elected and appointed officials and holding them accountable.
ReplyDeleteI've heard from a number of County employees, who are relieved and happy that McEntire is gone. The Good Ol Boy club has taken a major hit - decent, respectful people have prevailed. Elections do matter . . . .
DeleteI don't know if this is "official" enough but here's the article from Port O Call about Chapman's shift.
ReplyDeletehttp://portocallpublishing.com/2015/11/14/county-commissioner-mike-chapman-democrat/
Despite his claims of not running again...Clearly Chapman is going to run again...As a Democrat. Expect squeals of delight from the few people left who aren't tired of his self-serving flip-flopping.
DeleteUnless somebody better comes along, I hope Chapman DOES decide to run again.
DeleteHe was a decent guy when Doherty and Tharinger were Commissioners, and got weird when Jimmy Boy got elected. When Billy joined Jimmy at the hip, Chapman saw he was in a complete no-win situation, and used his seat as a platform to rant away at what JimBilly was trying to do. Yeah, it wasn't pretty.
But few in that "no hope of reason" situations do very well. It must be pretty depressing, knowing you have to sit next to morons like Billy Jim, week after week, month after month. Who would willingly sign up for that?
And, I'm guessing Chapman said he wasn't going to run again, specifically because he couldn't face more of the Jimidiocy. But when Mark won, suddenly things got real different. The situation changed, and I think Chapman is hopeful.
Of course, we'll see soon enough.
Chapman is a self-serving, go with whatever way the wind is blowing, lying sack of shit. None of what he's done is "for the people." He's not trying to speak up for anyone other than himself. He wants to hold onto a job that pays him much, much more than he could ever hope to make in the private sector.
DeleteWhy is it so hard for some of you to see this?
The first two commenters on the PDN article want to make this all about the Union and Mr Chapman. Nothing could be further from the truth. This is all about the manner in which Mr McEntire has conducted himself as a commisioner. Nothing more, nothing less.
ReplyDeleteThe first commenter on the PDN article is Donnie Hall, also known as the legislative district rep to the state Republican Party from Clallam County. A recent carpet bagger arrived from DC, where he worked at the Department of Defense and somehow knew McEntire there. He was the McEntire-appointed infamous County Commissioner for a minute when the commissioners awarded a no bid $10,000 contract to Phil Kitchel to "prepare data" for McEntire's deforestation committee. McEntire "recused" himself from the commission as they awarded the contract because he self admitted he was friends with Kitchel. Donnie Hall is also McEntire's neighbor in Sequim and a grade a slime ball.
DeleteObjectively, the only loud, clear and consistent exposure of Jim McEntires' actions that the most people in Clallam county saw was in the Port O Call. The PDN, the only other source of local "news", certainly did little to expose McEntire's activities as Commissioner.
DeleteThe Union has it's membership, and maybe they all vote like robots. I don't know. But I think it is clear that it was the PoC that deserves credit for people getting fed up with Jimbo's antics. Not that "credit" for doing the right thing is needed, or sought.
Which brings up the question: " Why grandstand, Dan?"