The Sun Sunnyvale's Newspaper Vote yes on T and no on S By KELLY FITZGERALD More than 13,000 Sunnyvale citizens placed measure T on the ballot. Police and firefighters urge your yes vote on T. Measure T establishes fair methods to settle disagreements that affect your safety. Issues include safety procedures, equipment, work rules or compensation. We can't strike and don't want to. We won't do anything that interferes with our duty to protect citizens. Thus, the city has no incentive to compromise on issues of concern to public safety. Disagreements have dragged on for more than 18 months. Protracted disputes are costly to taxpayers. Measure T establishes a proven method of dispute resolution called "binding arbitration." Sunnyvale currently uses it on downtown development issues. * Measure T requires good-faith negotiation. Work stoppages are prohibited. * As a last resort, a neutral arbitrator resolves disputes. * By law, arbitrators must consider the public's welfare and the city's financial condition. * Measure T saves tax dollars by avoiding protracted, expensive disputes. Santa Cruz, San Jose, Gilroy, Palo Alto, Hayward, Vallejo, Petaluma and others passed similar measures. There is no evidence that city services have declined as a result. Bureaucrats placed Measure S on the ballot. Measure S requires expensive, citywide elections of even minor decisions of a neutral arbitrator. Measure S increases election costs and is bad public policy. Government should manage our day-to-day affairs. The cities above don't require voter approval of the arbitrator's decisions. Measure S is extreme. Special elections could cost taxpayers $135,000 per election Assemblymembers Elaine Alquist and Jim Cunneen, Supervisor Pete McHugh, and former Public Safety Chief Jess Barba support Measure T. Vote yes on Measure T and no on Measure S. Kelly Fitzgerald is president of the Public Safety Officers Association. [ 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.