Where’s Nurse Ratchet when you need her? Well, a lot of nurses working for the city wouldn’t mind examining the brain cells of Superintendent of Schools John Ramos.
School nurses that come under the umbrella of the Board of Education went payless this summer because Ramos suffers from an I-think-I-don’t-remember moment regarding a deal the nurses union cut that waived salary increases for four years as well as provided other givebacks in exchange for having summers off — just like teachers — with pay checks spread out over 52 weeks.
The nurses stepped up at the city’s time of need. Ramos earns just about a quarter of a million a year as school chief, more than four times the pay of the base nurse salary. Nurses couldn’t pay rent, car loans, mortgages because Ramos said I didn’t cut that deal, it was the mayor. Well, BOE people did agree to the deal and now Ramos is trying to back off, even though the money is in the budget. Maybe he has other ideas for that money?
Mayor Bill Finch and Chief of Staff Adam Wood want the nurses paid in full. Wood was part of meetings with city labor negotiators and BOE personnel that worked out the arrangement placing school nurses under the BOE with payment obligations by the BOE. The City Council budgeted the money to cover the labor deal.
The mayor and Ramos were scheduled to meet on this subject Thursday afternoon. If I’m the mayor (aren’t you relieved I’m not) I’d try to reason with Ramos. Failing that I’d say, “Okay, John, here’s the deal: whether you like it or not you’re stuck with me as mayor for at least two more years. Live up to this agreement with the nurses. If you don’t, I’ll make sure come budget time you get nothing. Nothing. And then I’ll be happy to explain to anyone willing to listen that good hard working people suffered because of your inaction.”
And if that fails I’d call in Nurse Ratchet. All of them.
(Check out my daily blog at www.onlyinbridgeport.com)
Dump Ramos too!!
What’s a bippy? Do they come in sour flavor?
You bet your sweet bippy I’m happy you’re not the mayor. Well, if Bridgeport were Munchkin City, I could see that. Lennie presenting Dorothy Gail with a document of thanks for killing the Wicked Witch of the East. . . Well, we have no WICKED witches. A brujo or dos on the east side, but none of them are wicked. Not in the classical sense of the word. On the other hand, we do have a CORRUPT POLITICAL MACHINE; that is much worse than a wicked witch. It’d take more than a house to kill it!
“…I didn’t cut that deal, it was the mayor…”
Did I hear “Cut”? My favorite subject! Let me take Mr. Ramos back over a year ago to an appropriations decision made by the Bridgeport City Council and signed by Mayor Bill Finch. After years of delays and set-backs by a certain contractor selected by the Board Of Education to remodel the Parent Center on Boston Avenue, the Bridgeport City Council, passed a resolution to appropriate $650,000 for the completion of the Parent Center remodeling project.
The Council didn’t just appropriate the money-it amended the resolution to require that the BOE refund the $650,000 at $65,000 per year for ten (10) years to the city. It is clear that the City Council and Mayor Bill Finch “Cut” this deal! Prior to the City Council’s action, the original contractor of the Parent Center remodeling project, bilked the BOE for close to $1 Million and never came closed to completing the project.
I never heard Supt. Ramos say a word about the contractor bilking the city, let alone, returning the money. I didn’t hear Ramos object to the City Council approving the appropriation of the $650,000 for the Parent Center remodeling project and forcing the B.O.E. to refund the city. Why is it, that it’s O.K., for a contractor to bilk the B.O.E./City; the City Council to intervene by appropriating funds that fall under the responsibility of the B.O.E. But, it is wrong for city officials and the B.O.E. to enter into an agreement with city school nurses? Perhaps, Ramos should look at the nurses as contractors and order the payroll department to pay the nurses.
Vamos Ramos!