Chicago Dispatchers

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Christmas Weekend, Continued

Blogmaster is once again saddened, but unfortunately not surprised, at the amount of rancor and venom directed at pcos by fellow pcos. Perhaps some of those affected by the mandatory overtime--particularly for christmas eve 2nd watchers--fail to comprehend the true state of manpower at the OEMC: as reported in previous post the mandatory overtime invoked by management is due to STAFFING SHORTAGES and LACK OF VOLUNTEERS for voluntary overtime, not because an overwhelming majority of 3rd watchers went on the medical. Anyone disputing this fact, please revisit the previous post and feel free to check on the accuracy of Blogmaste's claims. In fact, Blogmasters sources report, that for 3rd watch, pmp calltakers, and pmp dispatchers there were a total of LESS THAN 5 MEDICALS for christmas eve. Less than 5 out of the combined 3 shifts. And Blogmaster can report that of those folks who were actually denied the comp time for christmas eve on 3rd watch--ALL of them actually showed up for work. So please, people before everyone disintegrates into the blame game about who is at fault here, consider the real issues--THERE ARE SIMPLY NOT ENOUGH PCOS TO MINIMALLY--AND THAT MEANS BARE BONES, SKELETON CREW, STIPPED BARE, JUST ENOUGH TO GET THROUGH--STAFF THE WATCHES. That is why every single day just about every watch is working lunches, breaks, and extensions and is STILL often being hit with mandatory overtime.

Blogmaster would also like to point out to any interested parties that the critical staffing shortages--which account for about 50% of OEMC's problems--so affect quality of life that its impossible to ignore it. Yes those of us working the operations floor agreed to work holidays, 24/7, and rotate rdos. We agreed to take a job which puts us at risk to be sued civilly and handle a "reasonable amount of overtime" as specified in our contract. We agreed that in times of emergency, natural calamities, or manmade catastrophes to be "locked down" inside the building and put the citizens and officers of the city before even ourselves (anyone remember when the system shutdown a few years back when everyone worked 10-12-14-16 hours with no breaks, lunches, or even any food? or the time the system failed and the squad car suddenly appeared at the exit gate preventing anyone from leaving the parking lot?) What we did NOT agree to is to be mismanaged, abused, and taken advantage of. We DO NOT agree with the use of overtime--voluntary or mandatory--as a means of doing business or as a way to solve long term chronic staffing shortages. We OBJECT to continually trying to do the right thing and play by the rules, yet constantly get shat upon. We are TIRED of making plans only to have slips returned denied for important life events like weddings and graduations (how many folks in the private sector have this problem?) We are SICK of looking forward to the assigned end of our tour, only to be tapped on the back and be told "hey you are up tonight for mandatory" and most of all we are MAD AS HELL that no one--NO ONE-- gives a shit about it but us. And because it affects every citizen, taxpayer, tourist, visitor, alderman, and field unit in this entire city, THEY SHOULD CARE TOO.

12 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Right on target with this post. Lets send this to the media......let the public know what really goes on at OEMC! And all those big wigs from other cities & countries around the world that think Daley's one great mayor....let's expose the REAL emergency situation that exists at the OEMC!

26 December, 2007 19:10  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I concur with above post.

26 December, 2007 19:49  
Blogger P.C.O.1.4EVER said...

Agreed, Blogmaster, you are 100% right on with your post. Again. Keep up the great work!

I myself am all for trying to expose to the public the mess that recent administrations of the OEMC have turned this office into. I would, however be wary of trying to count the media as being our "friends" and anticipating them to help shed light on our situation. Does anyone remember when a recently axed PCO3 went on the television news to give an interview about operations at the OEMC? Unfortunately, nothing ever came of it, at least not that I am aware of. No public outrage, no exposes on how our office is mismanaged every day of the week, every week of the year. (If someone out there knows otherwise, please correct me if I'm wrong.) I don't know that it ever even warranted a follow-up story by the media. But, hey, when the Durkin Park "incident" happened, it was on TV and in the paper for weeks on end. Our employees were dragged through the wringer, and other than mentions being made on blogs such as this one and SCC, I don't remember any discussion of the fact that the OEMC (and the police department too) work with skeleton crews EVERY day of the year. Our own executive director, who is CLUELESS about the daily floor operations, got on TV and slammed the working people, and the media ate it up. So while I WISH we could turn to the Sun Times, the Tribune, WGN 9, ABC 7, NBC 5 and CBS 2 for help pleading our case to an unsuspecting public, I don't think they would REALLY be on our side.

26 December, 2007 20:11  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

even if we were fully staffed where the hell would they sit everyone.......that place is a joke and honestly not a very funny one! its nasty, disgusting chairs that im sure are soaked with who knows what......when you sit down a puff of stench comes up into your face ! and the air itself has to be infested with the most disgusting germs and bacteria ! even some of the recruits say the air is stale in there when they come in ! on top of that the consoles have freaking dust bunnies the size of elephants and you know lurking in that dust are mites, dead skin, hair and who knows what else ! the carpet is dingy and holding millions if not billions of insects and mites ! but on top of all that, there aren't even enough seats for a fully staffed 911, when they mandated days on xmas eve they were all standing in front because they had no where to sit ! the building needs to be expanded.....we didn't just outgrow the parking lot, 911 is a joke !

27 December, 2007 10:05  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

p.s. i think we should all write a letter to Oprah about the conditions we work in.....i think she would help us out ! at least to make for a cleaner work environment ! cuz you know Oprah will get the job done she cares ! unlike the mayor ! lol

27 December, 2007 10:07  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oprah??? you're kidding right??
the thing we all have to understand and remember is that no one cares about us - Watch Manager KB who made everyone stay on Christmas Eve got Christmas day off - what is it to her that she ruined so many lives that day. She has to answer to somebody upstairs and that person has to answer to someone else and so on and so on. By the time the person who mandates these arbitrary numbers we are all held to is so far removed he dosen't know what we do on a daily basis. This administration could do a lot better in helping morale and doing even the slightest things to make us feel a little bit valuable to the system - but that will never happen. This administration dosen't even know who you are or what you do.

27 December, 2007 11:43  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

OPRAH! BRAHHHHHAAAAA!!

That's funny.

27 December, 2007 17:00  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Here ya go........call Pam Zekman
her cell # 951 3752.

27 December, 2007 17:38  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

...Here ya go........call Pam Zekman her cell # 951 3752...

is that 312 or 773?

28 December, 2007 06:35  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

In defense of KB, and i rarely defend superviors, she did give several people christmas off, but you have to understand she was told to have by someone higher than her to staff at a certain level, Did u see anyone higher than a watch manager at the oemc those two days?, Those are the people you should be angry with but you wont cause your a coward

28 December, 2007 09:47  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

disgusting chairs that im sure are soaked with who knows what......when you sit down a puff of stench comes up into your face ! and the air itself has to be infested with the most disgusting germs and bacteria

Cry me a river - try using deordorant,lose a few pounds and change the depends more often.

28 December, 2007 12:49  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

well no matter if you use deoderant or not......80 percent of people there probably dont and dont wash their hands when they come out of the bathroom anyway.

28 December, 2007 23:45  

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