Note to IBEW: We’re broke

International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, let me inform you why the city of Glendale will have a hard time meeting your demands. Quite simply, we are broke.

In 2001, Mayor Frank Quintero and Councilman Dave Weaver made it possible for safety personnel to retire with 90% of their last year’s salary at age 50, rather than at 55 years of age with 75% of their last year’s salary. Today, we have hundreds of safety personnel retiring with pensions of more than $100,000 and $200,000 a year for life.

IBEW, today there is a great deal of anger in our society, and government workers are taking the brunt of that anger. You see, the public trusted City Council members and management to do the right thing.

But, instead, they chose to become the pawns of the government unions. If you are angry because you feel you deserve more, I do not blame you.

We are angry because the city council just raised our water rates an additional 12% over the next four years.

This is on top of the 59% rate increases we have been paying over the past 10 years. Why did our council members transfer millions of dollars in past years from GWP into the pockets of our union employees? Is that fair?

IBEW, the residents of Glendale have appreciated your past service. But if you feel you are not receiving a fair deal with the city, you need to look elsewhere. In this economy, we need to be grateful to have jobs, and the voters in Glendale need to look in the mirror and come to grips as to who is responsible for the mismanagement of our jewel city.

Mike Mohill

Glendale