Firing the Proletarians
Mike's decision to fire solitaire guy reminded me of something Henry Stern wrote a couple of weeks ago:
"No commissioner has been publicly fired in the last four years, no matter how many innocent people are killed as a result of employee failures on his or her watch."
And Bloomberg's unwillingness to fire anybody, in private and public sectors, is kind of legendary. But then, the Mayor has been having a tough second term. For all the high-concept PR gambits (guns, Republicans, Ground Zero) there's a sense that his control of the workings of government has faltered with the departure of the mechanics like Marc Shaw.
For example, it's hard to think of a first-term snafu on the scale of yesterday's property tax embarassment. Maybe Mike was feeling the need to assert control.
Solitaire? Maybe the Mayor misunderstood, and thought the guy was sttting at his desk playing with himself.
Anyway, while there is something to be said for holding folks accountable, so that the firing of a commissioner would have some useful symbolic value, if nothing else, such an act would, at the end of the day, just be a further sympton of government by damage control.
Right now ACS has apparently gone into hysterical crisis mode, going hog wild in matters they've spent months and years ignoring, wrecking havoc on several fronts.
Rather than running in either of two speeds (lacksadasical or overdrive), it might be nice if they just did their jobs properly in the first place.
In that context, from a substantive (as opposed to a symbolic) standpoint, replacing the Commissioner would be little more than the Mayor sitting at his desk playing with himself.
The mayor just fired me for reading politicker on the job :(
Remember that ticket blitz a couple of years ago (the pregnant woman on the subway steps, the kid sitting on the milk carton, the old lady who used the wrong color trash bag)? Bloomberg's going back to his old ways. There's no more TV ads to cover him up, so it's only a matter of time before his popularity numbers start to take a plunge. In 2007-2008 the crime rate will significantly leap, and you'll see how much people really love him.
Remember, in public service you don't have to do your job thanks to the civil service system, and you stop working early in life at public expense.
But you get harrassed and, perhaps, fired over stupid crap like this. Ever wonder why public services cost so much and stink?
In 20 years in government (now over -- had enough), no one ever, ever managed to keep my busy. Hopefully they'll replace that guy with someone who can use the whole day to get less done.
Sounds like Henry Stern is calling for Commissioner Weinshall's head on a platter, doesn't it?
That's a good call.
Unbelievable hypocrisy. I personally was at an event last summer where Bloomberg, in the middle of a weekday, accepted a political endorsement in Brooklyn. He was there at least an hour. No city business was conducted. He just stood there while people praised him. How many other dozens of events was he at like this during his re-election bid when he should have been working? Even he doesn't take a salary, he owes the city a full day's work if he takes the job. Tell me why campaigning is OK but a guy who otherwise gets his work done and gets paid less than the loose change in Bloomberg's couch should lose his job for this.
As long as thr OTB commissioner has a job nobody else is getting fired. Since there is less going on over there than anywhere else.
Mike Bloomberg fired me for being a troll!
Mike Bloomberg fired me for being a troll!
Bloomberg fired that man as though he was part of his household help. "I don't like the way you cleaned the bathroom -- boom your fired. Six years of service, rent to pay, kids to feed -- to bad."
Where is this man's union?
Many of us are around City Hall, lets set up a "Bloomberg Slacker" list and how Mayor Mike makes excuses about why the powerfull get a different standard than the help.
bloomberg should catch hell for this. he would deserve it. this man has a family. he's only making 30 grand. and he's just fired on the spot by the mayor who's making his yearly visit?
as a bloomberg voter i find this increadibly distateful. i no longer think he's such a good person.
It is so sad that someone making 30,000 a year can get fired for playing solitaire without other bad performance reviews when people who make a lot more can harrass female employees, thteaten co-workers with assualt, sleep at work, disappear for hours at a time, steal supplies for personal use, or not show up for work and they can work for the city for as long as they please. I wish someone would ask for all the performance reviews and disciplinary actions taken for Bloomberg and past Mayor appointees or placements and see who is still working for the city.
Commissioner Weinshall's got away with it, I wonder why. Her husband did a better job protecting her then he did on Supreme Court Justice Alito
I am in the administration but prior to that was in the private sector in finance for 14 years. I am absolutely appalled at the level of lethargy in city government - there are people I know who are civil servants who think I'm crazy for working as hard as I do, and show zero motivation to do a good job. They know they can't be fired, so they are coasting, and its a disgrace.
I understand completely why the Mayor reacted the way he did - in 14 years in finance, even at low level jobs, I certainly never had time to play solitaire on my computer. Yes, perhaps this poor guy was singled out, but Bloomberg likely feels that NO ONE should be playing solitaire, falling asleep on the job, or diappearing for hours at a time during the day. Just because other people get away with it, does that make it right?
Also, this guy knew perfectly well that the Mayor was visiting his office that day. Why on earth would he leave the game on his computer knowing that the Mayor was visiting his office? Not very smart...
A few points need to be made here. The administration should have presented the tax assessment policy implemented by DOF as an affordable housing initiative because it is one. Obviously the folks at Budget prevailed because they are only interested in the money grab and not the long term interest of the city. Veteran's like Shaw and Cunningham would have seen this and convinced the Mayor that his legacy was at stake. I agree with so many of the previous comments.
Secondly, what's the difference between the guy playing solitare and Mark Shaw spending hours on the steps smoking cigars for the last 4 years?
You think he's got problems so far. Just wait. As second term lethargy sets in and more agencies are prone to mistakes and his commissioner's will be responsible for nightmarish problems since they cant blame Rudy anymore, Skyler and Harris will be scrambling and pleading for a Shaw-like hand to guide them. Of course, bloomberg will be to arrogant to even worry. After all, he can go back to the vault and count his billions.
Wasted millions...errors made by appointees...overtime run amoke...people not doing their jobs and properly watching who they need to...child abuse not being investigated...all these things are "suddenly" happening?? I doubt it.
Administration: You understand "completely" why the Mayor fired some guy without any notice or reflection on his six years of service for having solitaire on his computer screen. You claim that private sector workers never, ever do anything other than work their assess off 12 hours per day (no calls to home, no checking baseball scores, no local football pool, no talking about HBO, no early Friday trips to the Hamptons, no golf dates...).
1) Since you completely understand the Mayor's decision to send someone's life into turmoil based on a perceived slight, I guess that makes you terrible human being as well.
2) You arer a liar about private sector workers in the finance sector. We all know that there are huge swings in activity on Wall Street and there are lots of down moments for planning trips to the Hamptons and figuring out how to score big on company time.
3) If looking like you might be having some down time gets you fired, then the Mayor should apply that standard not to just his "help" but to all workers. But we know that will never happen.
(I am in the administration but prior to that was in the private sector in finance for 14 years. I am absolutely appalled at the level of lethargy in city government.)
Part of the reason is that by offering low salaries and rich pensions, the government only attracts those who, from their first day on the job, look forward to not working.
But part of it is the demotivating combination of bad management and selfish unions.
Let's say that from a motivational standpoint (not measured on any civil service test) there are five levels of of public employee:
1) On a mission,
2) Solid pro,
3) Just a job,
4) "Not my job," and
5) Beat the system.
Not matter what level you come in at, I guarantee that you will be beaten down at least one level, perhaps two.
your boss in the private sector is not charged with representing the people and thir values. bloomy is. he failed.
more over, the act alters bloomy's public persona. makes him look petty and small.
All computers have solitaire installed on them. And what about those who instant message or "chat" whether through their blackberries or AIM. (Didn't one of his campaign people and now nyc employee have the highest number of buddies on his buddy list?) Or read err.. blogs during work?
10:29 - yes, the person with the highest number of IM buddies was Stu Loeser - that was discovered when he was on the campaign. But guess what? Many of those people are folks he needs to communicate with FOR HIS JOB.
Hey 10:08 - my point is that if this guy was not smart enough to cover his tracks when HE KNEW the Mayor was coming to his office, I have zero sympathy. I know people who work in State Leg and it is FACT that he knew full well that the Mayor was going to be in his office that day. If he was not smart enough to have his computer clear from any evidence of not working when he was away from it, I don't feel sorry for him AT ALL. I know the full story here, which is why I said what I did.
BTW - I totally agree that all workers should be held to the same standard. I never said I didn't. If you go back and read, what I said was 'just because other people get away with it, does that make it right?' I still stand behind that. If I have to bust my butt working 12 hours + a day - which I do - then I don't really feel too sorry for civil servants that don't. Nobody owes ANYBODY a job IMO. Sorry. Paint me as anti-union - so be it. I am in management so I have to work all those hours with no overtime. I'm not complaining, but I also don't feel sorry for this guy because of it.
(Nobody owes ANYBODY a job IMO. Sorry. Paint me as anti-union - so be it. I am in management so I have to work all those hours with no overtime.)
I agree that nobody owes anybody a job. But, everyone owes the public services. Did firing this guy, instead of figuring out how he had time to play solitaire and what else he could be doing, advance that cause, or not? Good managers need to think strategically about personnel matters, not just react personally.
Then again, when you have a situation where employment is not voluntary for the employer, but people can be removed for petty infractions, this is what you get -- petty battles over rules and appearances. Which is why people go postal, and perhaps one reason the transit workers -- who have a pretty sweet deal in many ways -- went on strike.
As I said for the teachers, if at the end of a year a principal does not want a teacher back for the next year, that should be that. The teacher should have the summer to find another position in another school, and if they don't, receive severance pay and look for another job. No more protracted legalistic procedures. If a teacher doesn't like a principal, that teacher could post out to another school with a better one. If all the teachers decided to leave a school, the principal would have to be replaced. It's called voluntary reciprocity. If you have it, you don't have to fire people who are doing their job over a game of solitaire.
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I believe that a scientist looking at nonscientific problems is just as dumb as the next guy.
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Three phrases should be among the most common in our daily usage. They are: Thank you, I am grateful and I appreciate.