Dear Wine Mike and All Other Ships aT Sea;
Based on the fact that the City employee pay scales have been based on previous charter initiatives - think police and fire and Muni as examples with no strike clauses if you are going to basically force the issue as it were it would have to be a Charter initiative to overturn all the other agreements and all the MOU's which coincidentally would have to be done at contract renewal time not in mid-stream.
Currently there are some 36 MOU's: http://www.sfgov.org/site/sfdhr_page.asp?id=50899
This is what we would face and the 27,000 City employees collective hate and very likely violence were we to succeed in getting it on the ballot.
The general voters might just go for it but you are talking big bucks. One simple postcard mailing to all 400,000 registered voters would run $.27 each with printing costs for decent simple postcards at $500 for 25,000 printed front and back. Total estimated costs of about $120,000.
Repeated mailings would be essential with different message each time and you would probably have to have at least 8 separate mailings preceeding the election. Or a campign kitty of at least a minimum of $1 million. This would not include any radio or TV or newspapers or fliers and so on. You would have to have prepared experienced speakers bureau types you would have to have PR releases you have to garner support form the business community minimum of Chamber of Commerce. You would have to have support of neighborhood groups and so on.
Additionally while it would be an extremely sensitive topic the City employees have 4 different health plans some paid 100% by the City some 50/50 and so on.
One method of a saving taxpayer money which should also be addressed is consolidating the 4 City employee health plans under one plan. The savings in adminstrative costs alone would be well worth it. Plus requiring all City employees to contribute at least 25% towards the premium or up to 50%. Plus adding in co-payments for doctors office visits and prescription drugs and so on.
Ron Getty - SF Libertarian
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