Letter: City Council's "Shameful" Approval of Early Retirement

El Cerrito City Council Members:

I cannot believe that you, El Cerrito’s “Leadership,” if I can even use that term, would offer El Cerrito’s funds to encourage workers to quit so that you can save three months or more of salaries and hire people at lower wages. That is a shameful and embarrassing practice, particularly in these tough economic times, when older and more seasoned workers are losing their jobs at alarming rates. 

Think about those three months from the point of view of the employees who must pinch-hit for the duration, the ones who are not lucky enough to be able to get that Golden Handshake and who will now have to do more than one job. And think about those three months from the point of view of the citizens of this town, who will be forced to wait for assistance and services and return phone calls, etc., and to work with employees less trained and experienced in positions they must suddenly be responsible for as they do double duty for the duration. Is this how you want to treat our employees? Is this how you want to treat our citizens? Is this how you look at society?

Frankly, I think we citizens should be able to withhold a portion of our taxes and other fees such as licenses and permits for the duration, since City Hall, which is not that easy to deal with in the best of times, will now be impossible. Better yet, perhaps we should consider giving the City Council itself some sort of handshake, not golden, but definitely a good-bye.

– Elizabeth Thorsnes
  El Cerrito citizen for 33 years, property owner for more than 40