Stratford firefighters share in prizes at Milford chili cookoff

No town or city has a pair...The value of homes and real estate is down at least 34%(WSJ) since the last evaluation in the local towns and cities..Do you really think you will see a 34% reduction in your taxes???? NO We no longer pay the bulk of our taxes for services..We pay for the elevated lifestyles of government employees..The services could be purchased much cheaper in an open market that has a current 16% REAL unemployment rate...Grow a pair indeed..Not until you get elected officials that tell employees "Revenue is down ,valuations are down,so your pay and benefits will be going down to match the reality of what the citizens are going through...until then mentally masturbate your nonsensical arguments about things that don't affect outcomes to any great extent..

strafturd wrote:

I agree with followthemoney, until the town grows a set and stands fast in arbitration on a 401 for fire the same as every other union and stops letting the callback game be played as well as ordering cutbacks in ot the pension will be gamed again and again.

It seems that the PD salaries need more detail - how much was from outside vendors and will not be included for those who retire?
The town also gets a vig from those outside vendors for every hour a cop works -(about $4-5.00 per hour billed?).
New cop hires go into a 401k.
A large number of currently working cops will have pensions calculated off base pay.
But the chief could still watch the overtime - it's good for business.
The FD has an overtime budget about 5 times that of the PD and they still count overtime towards pension calculations.
The FD does not get o/t from outside vendors - so all the salary you see is town money and counts towards their pension.
It seems they have loads of overtime built in. Why? Time to re-negotiate.
The FD chief is in a position to save lots for the town if he can manage to reduce the overtime there, both now for salaries and in the future for pension payouts.

Comprehension wrote:

If the overtime and pensions are such a lavish benefit and the jobs are so easy why arent any of you PD or FD employees?

There are already 6 firemen above $100K and Murray will make #7.
Seems the CT Post did not pick up on those fat pensions as they came up.

Base salary Pension retirement date

Velky,Thomas $91,802.76 $108,774.12 7-2-2009
Milne, John $80,194.00 $107,188.44 1-2-2008
Ross, Daniel $90,598.01 $105,985.80 1-31-2011
Cremin, Joseph n/a $101,303.40 1-3-2003
Gazso, Paul $80,194.00 $101,609.40 1-2-2007
Hostetter,M $92,655.00 $100,928.28 4-3-2009



Read more: http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Crushed-b...

sign me up wrote:

<quoted text>
There are already 6 firemen above $100K and Murray will make #7.
Seems the CT Post did not pick up on those fat pensions as they came up.
Base salary Pension retirement date
Velky,Thomas $91,802.76 $108,774.12 7-2-2009
Milne, John $80,194.00 $107,188.44 1-2-2008
Ross, Daniel $90,598.01 $105,985.80 1-31-2011
Cremin, Joseph n/a $101,303.40 1-3-2003
Gazso, Paul $80,194.00 $101,609.40 1-2-2007
Hostetter,M $92,655.00 $100,928.28 4-3-2009
Read more: http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Crushed-b...

Assistant chief Paul Gazso passed away on 3/31/12 http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/ctpost/obitu... , a little over 5 years after retiring like many firemen do- SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD DEAL TO ME, may he PLEASE rest in peace. Lieutenant Thomas McCabe did not even make it to retirement. STILL WANT TO SIGN UP FOR THIS GREAT DEAL? Maybe you jealous aZZh@les should look at the whole picture instead of sniping at honorable people from behind phony screen names. SHAME ON YOU!

The police have still more then 25 people who are going to be building their pensions up up and away! I was told that at least three officer's ( i was told they were ranking officer's) were working road jobs EVERY WEEK for the last year of their career. And this WAS a big boost to their pensions!

And people are still getting unlimited overtime for the SWAT TEAM ( which also builds their pension), and specialized team in narcotics ( which also builds their pensions). I was also told that they have to go to training on an overtime basis ( this I am not sure as person who told me was a little confused)and if training is on an overtime basis WTF>>>>> they can't do this while they are on the clock?

The Fire Dep't is an easy fix. If, they want to fix the pension fiasco. All they need to do is beef upthe ranks so that they DO NOT get automatic overtime every single week! Yes, it is costly to hire people because of healthcare but it may be cheaper since people would come out with lower pensions( which we pay forever).

And just because I took a different path in life , rather then being a fireman or policemen, doesn't mean that it is ok to abuse the system in place. What the police and fire have done ( and yes to some point greed) is hurt FUTURE generations of police and fire as they won't get pensions. They have this generation to thank.

Also I have the UTMOST respect for police and fire. My good friend is a police officer. I talk to him almost on a daily basis. I know that it is not an easy job. There are many situations where cops CANNOT win, i get it. I am just a struggling taxpayer in the Town of Stratford and just don't think $100,000.00 pensions are neccessary or right.

Afterall, if the average salary is 75,000.00 and people could leave with 60 -70 percent of their salary then their pension would be about 50,000? So where does all the XTRA's come from? Exactly

Excellent point "follow", future fire men will only have their "brothers" to thank for the pension being gone as their greed got the better of them. You left out the callback game though.

The callback game could be taken care of by raising staffing levels. plain and simple.......

or ending minimum manning clause

yes...... But we all know that safety is paramount and union people will jump on you or anyone who dare say that everyone's safety is at risk if the minimum manning clause is abolished.
It's all about the $$$$$$

reality check wrote:

<quoted text>
Assistant chief Paul Gazso passed away on 3/31/12 http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/ctpost/obitu... , a little over 5 years after retiring like many firemen do- SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD DEAL TO ME, may he PLEASE rest in peace. Lieutenant Thomas McCabe did not even make it to retirement. STILL WANT TO SIGN UP FOR THIS GREAT DEAL? Maybe you jealous aZZh@les should look at the whole picture instead of sniping at honorable people from behind phony screen names. SHAME ON YOU!

It is unfortunate that those in stressful jobs like the FD or PD do not enjoy a long & healthy life after retirement.
It also happens in the military and many other job paths.
But it is shameful to try and ride the coat tails of the deceased/severely disabled to justify your future benefits.
Why do you downplay all the younger people who have left on "disability" but still go on to more prosperous jobs while still getting that tax free pension?
Many did very well and luckily worked a lot of o/t before being "stricken down in their prime"
Shame on you.

sign me up wrote:

<quoted text>
There are already 6 firemen above $100K and Murray will make #7.
Seems the CT Post did not pick up on those fat pensions as they came up.
Base salary Pension retirement date
Velky,Thomas $91,802.76 $108,774.12 7-2-2009
Milne, John $80,194.00 $107,188.44 1-2-2008
Ross, Daniel $90,598.01 $105,985.80 1-31-2011
Cremin, Joseph n/a $101,303.40 1-3-2003
Gazso, Paul $80,194.00 $101,609.40 1-2-2007
Hostetter,M $92,655.00 $100,928.28 4-3-2009
Read more: http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Crushed-b...

Lucky Joe is still doing good on that $101,303.40 since January of 2003.
In just 9 months he will have made it 10 years off the job.
High five there Joe! I mean ten!

RTD (@ 2013)=$1,013,034.00

reality check wrote:

<quoted text>
Assistant chief Paul Gazso passed away on 3/31/12 http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/ctpost/obitu... , a little over 5 years after retiring like many firemen do- SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD DEAL TO ME, may he PLEASE rest in peace. Lieutenant Thomas McCabe did not even make it to retirement. STILL WANT TO SIGN UP FOR THIS GREAT DEAL? Maybe you jealous aZZh@les should look at the whole picture instead of sniping at honorable people from behind phony screen names. SHAME ON YOU!

And let's be open here - his wife will still get over $50k a year for the rest of her life.
Obviously money does not compensate for the loss of a spouse - but it helps to get by.
And it is probably more than most in town will get for their pensions.
How many fire retirees are still collecting vs. how many pensions are going to beneficiaries?
So stop playing the martyr game on the backs of the less fortunate who have passed.
It is in poor taste.

reality check wrote:

<quoted text>
Assistant chief Paul Gazso passed away on 3/31/12 http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/ctpost/obitu... , a little over 5 years after retiring like many firemen do- SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD DEAL TO ME, may he PLEASE rest in peace. Lieutenant Thomas McCabe did not even make it to retirement. STILL WANT TO SIGN UP FOR THIS GREAT DEAL? Maybe you jealous aZZh@les should look at the whole picture instead of sniping at honorable people from behind phony screen names. SHAME ON YOU!

AMEN!!! With you all the way on this comment..no respect or consideration from cowardly morons posting under fictitious names. I have come to the conclusion "TRYING TO REASON WITH MORONS, IS JUST AS FUTILE AS ADMINISTERING MEDICINE TO THE DEAD!!

Phyllis
What does your insults have to do with the cookoff?

joe haligan wrote:

Excellent point "follow", future fire men will only have their "brothers" to thank for the pension being gone as their greed got the better of them. You left out the callback game though.

Never - ever- speak of the callback game on here again!
It is one of the best kept secrets and should never be discussed outside the house.

Taste good to me.