Madam Mayor,
Vice Mayer Maxwell,
City Commissioners
Mr. Bornstein,
My name is Nicholas Petrino.
In 2006 I enlisted for employment with City of Lake Worth and have been diligently working towards my promised future. In 2010 overall employee morale took a tremendous dive and has been descending since. I have witnessed many employees resign. Taking with them a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience that most corporations would view as a retainable asset. These people were more than just co-workers, they were my friends.
Over the course of the last seven months we have been tersely pleading with the City to allow us to retain our promised pensions. Meanwhile the City has stood firm on a platform of unsustainability.
As we’ve continued to see excessive raise amounts approved only for management versus our onetime 4%. Focusing efforts on insuring the employees receive their promised pensions, to which we have been contributing 7.8% of our paychecks towards should be a priority. We couldn’t help but ask ourselves… Why isn’t our dedication valued? Why are they accepting outlandish pay increases but telling us the financial well has been drained to the point our contracted retirement is at stake? These concerns have been extremely disruptive to the overall morale of this Great City.
Today at the union negotiations, the City made the first progressive step in paving the way for a possible bright future. They acted in good faith and agreed to separate the Pension from all other addendum articles. I am grateful the City and the Union have put aside their past differences and can now fairly discuss our truly vital Pension. I hope and believe that the City will honor their word, their commitment. To allow the pre 2010 personnel to keep our earned Pensions as is.
In this moment the City has the ability to change the tide, to forgo all past transgressions, to restore morale. The decisions that are made now will set the tone for the careers of future generations of City Employees. I hope we can all grow together not only as co-workers but a team of friends to help this City, this Community, move forward in a positive direction. A direction of unity and compassion.
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to speak here today.
34 comments:
Great speech. We are lucky to have someone of this caliber working for Lake Worth.
WELL DONE! he didn't give them a black eye per say but wrapped it up nicely.
Lynn did his union show up to back him?
Several members of the employee union committee were there.
Prime example of how man should present himself.
All us employees really hope Nick made a difference in speaking. hes right though what happens either way will be the game changer for everyone.
GO LYNN! I heard you spoke to for the Employees! A true pleasant to have you in our community =)
I just watched the video on the city of Lake Worth website. Ms. Anderson and Mr. Petrino were very professional in their point. Maybe LW will listen this time. Treat the employees fairly and my community will get better bc the employee will care more.
Good job Nick.
it is about time someone had the balls to speak out! To bad there is not more out there like him
How can they not honor a promise? They need to find a way to allow them to keep their pension.
Wish i coulda made it. I heard the both of you did very well.
Kudos to you Nick!!!!!!!!!
it is sad that after all that is happening with the employees on 1 employee has the guts to pipe up
People are afraid of retribution. It happens all over. Normally you would go to the HR director if you have a complaint. With union members, I guess they go to their union reps? The problem is, no one trusts management. We are experiencing the same thing at John Prince Park and the national ball field issue. Many of the employees there would join our Facebook page, John Prince Park Preservation, but they are afraid for their jobs.
Sad.
P.S. Nicholas was great!
his speech wasn't like ah big kick in the goonads, instead a well written empathy speech. very nice nicholas
True strength comes from people who are not necessarily fearless of repercussions but know they're could be but still speak up. we need more people like Mr. Petrino in this town. Interesting enough that all the towns employees want what he does but don't have the backbone to fight along side him. Loved his speech!!
this was a big win for us by the city separating the pension from the raise. I have a feeling it was because nick put himself on the line. Anyone feels differently can go pound salt because it takes a lot of guts to do what he did. I cant risk my job here and dont fall in the his pension plan but ya gotta do what ya gotta do.
good job buddy!
Good Ol Lake Worth. Do the right thing for once!
maybe they actually listened to him, we all know Maxwell, Andy & Bornstein have their own agendas... everything he said is true just do the right thing. if they want to change the pension do it moving forward for them. How can they possibly think its okay to go backwards???????????????????????????????? its not like lake worth employees make a fortune...
Fix my roads & give nicholas the pension he was promised. Please and thank you.
I loved how everyone clapped afterwards ����
Lynn,
What do you think the commision was thinking after you and Nickolas spoke?
Maxwell and Amoroso were probably thinking--why don't those people shut the hell up? :) I don't think they cared.
McVoy and Maier were thinking--I sure can sympathize with all of this and hope it can be worked out.
There are some elected officials who care about the people they serve. Maier's slogan when he ran last year was People, not Politics. He believes that. And uh does, the Trio treats him and McVoy like a piece of horse dung.
IMO
How can they look themselves in the mirror knowing there destroying their own employees lives. - Smug bastards - You want a positive city, start with taking a hard look at yourselves. Stop yelling at eachother in commision meetings and listen to the people in the community!
Doing the right thing always comes with a cost, i hope hes ready to pay the piper when the city comes ah knockin
These lw employees like Nicholas stuck around with lower pay than all other cities for the pension. To take it away is plain wrong. Please dont do this Lake Worth
Go get em Nick!
This is not a win / lose scenario. Its a what is right scenario! In all reality the city needs to stand by their promise. He even ended it with a motivational line which was splendid. Now lets see if they get off their high horses and stand by their word. If not it proves publically they have no integrity.
KEEP PENSION AS IS, WHATS FAIR IS FAIR!
If Ldub cannt really afford their pension plan anymore they should do something for those people before 2010 maybe backpay or something other than saying oops sry we wasted your time working for us. You cant just backdate peoples lives that's not right. If they need to move money around to keep their original contracts in place that's what should be done.
Please Please let me keep my pension. I put in 8 years here and would love to put another 12 to reach retirement. If they change my plan it will kill me =..(
just watched the video. nice presentation I hope you both made a difference. there is only about 40 or so people in the old plan, there really is no reason they cant honor them. its like really they are the last people they will ever have to pay a pension for bc no one is going to do 30 years here with at a lower pay when they can just go to another city and do 30 there with a higher normal pay. if they city chose to leave them in their original promised plans it will mean and show a lot. if not that also will show a lot too.
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