Question for fire fighers and policemen

[HelenWheels]

What do you think of Walker's bill to have only new hires pay for their insurance and have a lower pay scale? I worked for the state and they tried to get our union to agree to less benefits and lower pay scale for new hires we wouldn't do it. We knew it would lead to very bad work relations. Now I know you didn't bargain for this, but what do you think of it?
What do others on DU think?

[Blacksheep214]

1. Very simple

We call them apprentices when they are new and they do get paid less. The contract often will have other things the apprentice does not receive.

A Journeyman is a fully trained and capable employee and as such is a new hire in only this new job. He is not new doing his, or her, job.

It's easy to picture the new hire as the kid with zits at McWhatever.

We are talking about professional adults here!

[ewagner]

2. If I'm not mistaken

when the "new-hires" reach journeyman status under this plan, the journeyman pay scale will be less than grand-fathered journeymen. Is that what is really happening here?

e.g.:a demonstration

Old Scale

Apprentice: 12.50 /hour
Journeyman: 20.00/hour

New Scale:
Apprentice: 7.50/hour
Journeyman: 11:00/hour

In the above demonstration, the grand-fathered employees would always be at a higher payscale than new hires...

[HelenWheels]

3. Apprentice? Not on all jobs

I worked for the state as a nurse. True I got hired at a lower rate than those on the job but after 6 months I had all the benefits they had plus a hefty pay raise. I was not an apprentice as I came to the job as an experienced nurse.
Will the fire fighters and cops on the job ever pay for their health insurance like the new hires?