- Chicago firefighters and paramedics will get $94 million in back pay dating back to June 30, 2007 — bankrolled by debt likened to “borrowing to pay for last year’s groceries” — thanks to a contract ratified Monday.
“We’re very concerned. It’s enormously expensive to borrow to pay for operating costs. Future taxpayers are gonna have to pay, not only for their own city services but debt on services they did not receive,” said Civic Federation President Laurence Msall.
“It’s similar to borrowing to pay for last year’s groceries. It demonstrates a failure to plan and leave aside adequate funds” for an expense the city knew was coming.
Well gee Larry. If someone, namely Shortshanks, had negotiated in good faith and hadn't delayed countless meetings and truly wanted to wrap things up in a timely manner, then the city wouldn't have been burdened with this completely predictable "expense," the same way it was with the police contract.