The Sun Sunnyvale's Newspaper Pro and Con: Measures S and T Vote yes on S and no on T By JIM ROBERTS When the Public Safety Officers Association walked away from contract negotiations they said, "It's not about money." And, if you remember, that is what they told you when they were trying to get you to sign their petition. Now we can actually read Measure T in our voter pamphlet, and guess what? It is about money. In Section D, Paragraph 1, it clearly states, "wages, hours or terms and conditions of employment." That is money and a whole lot more. All the arguments the officers' union makes about "fairness" talk about how they are treated by management. If that is really the problem, then they do not need salary arbitration. They need grievance arbitration. Even the Mercury News said Measure T is bad for Sunnyvale and what the union should be asking for is grievance arbitration. Do not be fooled by their rhetoric. Measure T is nothing more than a power grab that takes control away from the people and gives it to some arbiter who is not accountable to anyone. Measure S was placed on the ballot to counter this power grab and to ensure the citizens get the final word. Measure S simply allows the citizens the right to vote if an arbiter's decision has a negative impact on our budget or management rights. Regardless of how one feels about arbitration, everyone who believes in democracy must agree the citizens have the right to make the final decision. Measure S guarantees that right. Join the bipartisan coalition of councilmembers past and present, the more than 600 businesses of the Sunnyvale Chamber of Commerce, mobile-home park and senior citizen leaders, teen advocates and friends of the library who want to make sure Sunnyvale remains a model city. Vote yes on Measure S, and no on Measure T. Jim Roberts is the mayor of Sunnyvale. [ Back to Contents Page | Sunnyvale Sun Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, October 28, 1998. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.