May 22, 2012
Your public safety dollars at work for you
"Seattle firefighter caught with meth still being paid, faces new charge"
A Seattle firefighter recently convicted on a drug charge is now accused of violating a protection order secured by a former girlfriend - and remains on the fire department payroll.
The new charges filed Monday against firefighter Paul Hermosillo came less than a month after the 34-year-old pleaded guilty to a drug crime related to his arrest last year on the University of Washington campus. Hermosillo was caught with methamphetamine while having consensual sex near a campus fountain. ... He remains on the department payroll despite the misdemeanor drug conviction.
Remember this the next time the firefighters' union asks us to approve a tax increase for fire services.
Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at May 22, 2012
08:32 AM | Email This
1. Protect the unions at all costs in exchange for their votes. That's the Democrat way.
2. If it wasn't for unions, this never would have happened!
3. [ deleted as off-topic trolling ]
4. [ deleted as off-topic trolling ]
5. "Suspended with Pay". Isn't that what you call a "vacation"? The teacher that berated the student for questioning Obama was also "suspended with pay".
I can't imagine my employer suspending me with pay. Does that happen outside of government jobs?
6. Unions, chartered and sworn to protect:
The lazy, the incompetent, common criminals, the corrupt, sleazy Dimocrat Party politicians, drunks/drug users, backstabbers and employees who happen to be ill every Monday and/or Friday.
I know, as I was a International Association of Machinist member (and part-time steward) for 25 years. I finally got my belly full of corrupt union politics and resigned in 2000. Slept better ever since.
7. So if a soldier commits a crime, we shouldn't fund the military?
8. Exactly Bruce, especially if it is a low end drug crime. One bad person invalidates everything else good they do.
9. Only public employee unions would come up with a 'punishment' that amounts to sending someone on paid vacations. Enough. already. Public officials, grow a spine and change things in ways that are more respectful to taxpayers instead of the perps.
10. Is Bruce actually making a correlation between the benefits of the military and those of the pampered public unions? Can you say disconnect with reality?
11. Bruce: It's apples and oranges. Lower enlisted soldiers who test positive for drugs or are convicted of drug crimes are given one chance to clean up (rehab and increased monitoring) and if they pop hot again are discharged. Non-Commissioned Officers and Officers who test positive or are convicted of drug crimes are immediately discharged (General, not Honorable discharge). There is an appeals process, but soldiers are subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice and do not have all of the same rights to due process as civilians do - they give up those rights when agreeing to serve their country. Also, we are tested regularly for drugs - sometimes as often as monthly. There is no comparison with Firefighters or other public union jobs.
12. "http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Hidden-camera-investigation-catches-520-bridge-workers-drinking-on-the-job-152681285.html?tab=video&c=y"
...and here are your tax dollars at work paying WASH DOT workers to drink while working in the 520 bridge project offices.
13. That would be the contractor's workers...yes, overall supervised by WSDOT but as far as I've heard there is no evidence of State workers drinking on the job. KGM needs to be held accountable and if any of these 'drinkers' were design engineers - WORK NEEDS TO BE CHECKED. :)
14. Just great. One of my own making the rest of us look jerks. Fire the SOB because he can never be around drugs, which we have all the time.
Thanks you dang fool.
IAFF fire this jerk now.
15. Note the typical fallacious argument from Bruce @7.
It does not follow, nor did Stefan suggest that all firefighting should be underfunded due to the actions of one firefighter. But that doesn't stop Bruce from making the leap.
The point, that Bruce and the other Leftists who comment here would like to strenuously avoid, is that Union protectionism has taken our public servants far from a merit based employment that those of us in the private sector must adhere to each and every day.
Expecting our public servants to live to a much higher standard given their outrageous pay and benefits is entirely reasonable.
Fire the asshat and replace him with someone who takes firefighting and his public service seriously.
16. You're wrong on this one, Shark. The firefighters' union is NOT fighting his firing and is ONLY affording him due process. The fire dept has removed this guy to a place where he is in not in contact with the public and he will be out once he has a felony conviction.
I'm no fan of public sector unions that assist bad guys with keeping their jobs, either. But in this case, the Seattle Firefighters' Local 27 is NOT guilty of what is being suggested.
17. School Marm -- this guy had his due process in criminal court and was found guilty. Who but the union would have negotiated a form of extra "due process" which entitles one to collect a salary even AFTER being convicted of what this guy was convicted of?
The union isn't "guilty" of anything, but it is responsible for protecting the unearned income of convicted criminals.