Judge: Scranton, must pay employees full wages

[cali]

SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) — A judge has ordered the city of Scranton to pay employees full wages, but the mayor says the cash-strapped government can't afford it.

Lackawanna County Judge Michael Barrasse on Friday granted an injunction to unions challenging Mayor Chris Doherty's decision to impose minimum wages to nearly 400 employees. The Times-Tribune of Scranton reports paychecks containing the minimum wage of $7.25 an hour had already been issued.

Doherty says he can't print money and that City Council has to fulfill the obligations of their budget. City Administrator Ryan McGowan says the city would have only $83,000 available after making a minimum-wage payroll of $311,000.

Union attorney Thomas Jennings says he will again file a motion seeking to hold the mayor in contempt of court if paychecks do not contain full wages.

http://news.yahoo.com/judge-scranton-must-pay-employees-full-wages-203233291--finance.html;_ylt=A2KJ3CbKX_tPOgIAMJbQtDMD

[Scuba]

1. So tax some rich guys Mr. Mayor!

[Ruby the Liberal]

2. He tried.

They voted down his tax increase proposal.

http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/as-scranton-hits-rock-bottom-blame-game-ensues-1.1340563

Mayor Chris Doherty for months has been saying to the media that, had the council "supermajority" adopted his 2012 budget proposal with a 29 percent tax hike, the city would not be in the financial mess it is.

...

The mayor's mantra has been that council reduced his 29 percent tax proposal to 4.8 percent, and instead relied on borrowing and refinancing to provide the rest of the funds.

But the city cannot obtain such financing from wary banks without first adopting a viable Act 47 recovery plan demonstrating how the financially distressed city will be able to repay loans, he said.

To that end, Mr. Doherty has proposed a recovery plan with 78 percent tax increases over the next three years. However, the council majority has refused to consider the mayor's plan or any tax hikes greater than 10 percent each year, and instead wants to fill the gap with alternative revenue sources, such as increased contributions from nonprofits and commuter, sales and payroll taxes, to name a few.

[Honeycombe8]

6. He tried to raise property taxes 78% (that's on everyone, of course).

But the City Council wouldn't approve it.

The city is out of $. The legislature (is it Democratic? or Republican?) won't let it file bankruptcy.

No one would buy bonds from the city.

So....that's how they came up with across the board pay cuts. For everyone employed by the city.

So I guess they have to lay them off? And stop city services? No sanitation, police, firefighters, etc.?

Geez, didn't they see this coming?

[Ruby the Liberal]

22. Over 3 years.

Edit - Mayor is Dem, Council is Republican.

[Honeycombe8]

23. Council is half Dem., half Repub. nt

[valerief]

12. Bingo! nt

[Honeycombe8]

24. I doubt a city that size has enuf wealthy residents to save the city. Everyone will have to suffer..

when you have a problem that big.

[valerief]

25. The non-wealthy are already. nt

[Honeycombe8]

26. This is true. But that's because there are so many more of them. And looks like...

there are about to be even more non-wealthy people.

[FrodosPet]

17. Time to quit pussyfooting around

We need TAKE CHARGE executives, from the mayor's level to the presidency.

We need people who are willing to shut down and arrest uncooperative legislative bodies. We need people willing to say "Taxes NEED to be this, so they ARE this!", regardless of what "the law" or "the voters" say.



I would not want to trade places with the mayor of Scranton. Does he want to go to jail for check fraud or contempt of court?

[sweetapogee]

19. it pains me to say this

but the Mayor and Council are so disfunctional that a third option currently not on the table is actually worse. The problem is way deeper than a simple cash flow or funding glitch.

[1StrongBlackMan]

3. So who is going to be the brave employee ...

that will ask his co-workers:

Gee, I wonder if we would be going through this if our legislators made voted for President Obama's Jobs Plan that would have sent federal money to help shore up local governments.

But more, I wonder if we will vote for them again, since we see the effect it has had on us?" loan

[longship]

4. That was quick. Thank goodness.

What a bunch of douche bags those Republicans are!

This will probably not hit the national news this evening, or tomorrow.

[Honeycombe8]

7. Whose fault do you think it is? The state legislature, who won't let Scranton

file for bankruptcy? I don't know if the PA state legislature is dem. or repub.

The Mayor is a Democrat. Half the City Council is Democratic.

[longship]

8. Maybe it doesn't matter, or maybe it helps.

I just know that when we stop paying police and fire, we're in deep shit.

[DontTreadOnMe]

10. We are ALREADY in DEEP SHIT

Wait a few more month and see how many more cities file for bankruptcy.

Then billionaires can come in and buy entire cities for pennies.... and build a huge moat around the city borders and keep poor people from entering their kingdoms.

WAKE UP AMERICA!

[longship]

14. I lived over three decades in Detroit.

Yes, in Detroit, a proud 1966 Cooley High graduate. Now, Detroit is a shadow of a city, having lost over a million residents, much greater than 50%!

It is sad to see the death of a city, formerly entitled The Arsenal of Democracy. I wouldn't want to know what Detroit is entitled today, but I am sure the teabaggers and freepers would have something colorful, so to speak.

The whole thing makes me sick.

[rurallib]

9. I would bet the legislature recently passed a tax cut for businesses

that ALEC drafted that cut the throats of cities

[Honeycombe8]

18. Scranton is in such dire straits, that wouldn't matter.

They are out of money to pay for basic nessecities like garbage pickup, police, fire.

It's a small city. There's not a big tax base there, to begin with. Even raising the property taxes 78% wasn't going to fix the problems.

It sounds like they need to file for bankruptcy and get rid of debt, or structure it, as the only way out. But the legislature won't let them, for some reason.

If I lived there, I'd move. If I could.

[WillyT]

5. K & R !!!

[tammywammy]

11. What happens if/when the paychecks bounce?

Does anyone know?

[SunSeeker]

13. I see the folks in Scranton want sevices without the taxes.

Hopefully Californians won't make the same mistake this November when they are given a chance, yet again, to raise taxes to pay for the services they want.

[Sirveri]

16. CA will once again vote to shoot ourselves in the foot.

Happened last time Jerry was the gov, since that's when we passed Prop 13.

[SunSeeker]

20. Wasn't he in favor of Prop. 13 back then?

At least now he's pushing for his tax increase Prop. But I am afraid you're right.

[Sirveri]

21. I wasn't alive when it passed, but I read that he was against it.

But once it came down he basically said, well all right I'll gut the state if that's what you guys want! And then proceeded to enact austerity measures. He doesn't screw around, he'll balance the budget one way or another.

[eppur_se_muova]

15. Tax Sallie Mae ...

http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Sallie-Mae-Scranton-Reviews-EI_IE628.0,10_IL.11,19_IM778.htm