Tomorrow (or today by the time many of you read this) is a key day in our republic’s early history. On June 17, 1775, the colonists proved they were willing to stand up to the Redcoats, though the British achieved a rather Pyrrhic victory of taking Breed’s Hill. The next March, to prevent a repeat of such a “victory” the British reacted to the Colonial fortification of Dorchester Heights by evacuating Boston, thus giving us another date to commemorate annually, if we think of it while devouring corned beef and cabbage:) Boston National Historical Park has a calendar of events for all this week here.
In case anybody’s wondering, yes, I did write this in part to get a rise out of those who see these as “hack holidays” unworthy of recognition. On a more serious note though, I was looking forward to “History Monday” that we did a few months ago becoming a regular BMG feature.
History monday became history papers! Thanks for reminding me though. Now that school’s out I can actually write about history for fun as opposed to for my future, which is stressful!
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p>I was thinking in light of our recent discussions of cutting down a recent paper I wrote on the history of the Papacy is brooklinetom won’t have a coronary over it. ( I jest, I jest!)
The more history around here, the better as far as I am concerned.
Was more than an “orgy of anti-Catholic revelry.” It was the date of the failure of Guy Fawkes to blow up the parliament. The Catholic Fawkes, who wished to displace Protestant rule, became a symbol for anti-Catholics, and for years celebrations on the fifth including burnings of the pope in effigy, etc.
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p>However, it is also celebrated by anarchists (spawned by V for Vendetta) and anti-authoritarians generally, and in Europe it has often simply become a night of celebration and fireworks.
That will work. In response to Jack Hart, most stores are open on most holidays anyway.
is the mother of my 2 year old daughter, an employee of the Village Preschool day care center in Roslindale who would normally be taking care of 10 children aged 3 and 4 for a whopping $12 an hour, but who today could be found slacking off at Millenium Park with only one little girl and a certain ex-hack who now has the misfortune of working nights.
…only kids outside Suffolk County are actually in school learning about history, math, sciences, reading, etc. today (Suffolk Co. kids are also not enjoying/learning at the Bunker Hill Day Parade today, since that was on Sun.).
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p>From what I’ve seen, the only ones actually attacking history have been those arguing to keep these two special deal holidays. In addition to making a mockery of history with the whole Evacuation Day/St. Paddy’s Day switcharoo in the first place, some have even been belittling other important historical events in defense of their special deal. See 3:40 of this speech by Rep. Scaccia where he derides “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World” as a “mere skirmish” compared to the days of his special perks (watch the whole thing though, it’s bizarre):
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Take the Boston holidays, if they worry you so much. A great victory for the progressive-Republican coalition. Next up: the sale of naming rights to local public pools, libraries and the like? That also seems like the kind of thing all you private-sector fetishists could line up behind.
Sheesh.
I guess I’ll take it as a sign of the lack of justification for the status quo on this. Why shouldn’t progressives team with repubs if repubs are on the side of right- special holidays for a few, some open gov’t issues, like the conference committees? Should it really be some other way? We have had an overwhelming dem majority in the state legislature for years, yet many progressive measures go nowhere. Why is that? Clearly all is not well in the house of beacon hill dems. If progressives don’t challenge the status quo (when necessary) to buy build different coalitions for victory now and then…then progressives won’t be worthy of the name.
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p>This is important because it is an unjustifiable waste, it inconveniences the many to the benefit of the few, it’s a special perk for the few, it’s embarrassing for gov’t and undermine peoples belief in it, and because the hackocracy is real and needs to be challenged.
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p>And I’m not a “private-sector fetishist.” Perhaps you have me confused with someone else, or could show what I’ve said to indicate such a belief. If you really believe government provides useful services (as I do), you should be mad that people want to keep denying people services these two days to fulfill a special perk put in place 70 years ago- and not mad a people who want to change that.
along with the tremendous spiritual/symbolic victory of reducing public employees’ and day care teachers’ time off, I will consider it a period of progress. If this anti-holiday crusade succeeds along with some watered- down fake-o ethics changes, I’ll consider it a time of empty grandstanding, distraction, and Howie Carr ass-kissing.
Good luck, Scout. My new job had me working Christmas this year anyway- it wasn’t too bad.
at your cynical suggestion that our hard working legislature might pass fake-o ethics reform. Who being the private sector fetishist now?
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p>IMHO, all the negative attention they’ve been getting on this (admitedly not huge, but highly charged) issue increases the chances of them actually doing the right thing on other issues. Clearly, there are no guarantees though.
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p>As for Howie Carr, he’s a hate-monger and a classic reactionary- that’s a given, but even a stopped clock is right twice a day.
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“Progressives” have been duped on this.
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No it’s not. The only way cutting these holidays has a net savings for the state is if the total number of vacation days for workers is reduced (if today they have 14, including Evacuation Day & Bunker Hill Day, after the bill they will have 12.) If that’s what your talking about, money will be saved, but then lets talk about whether state workers have too many holidays, because that’s what your really calling for. This proposal is a 0.07% pay cut, calling it anything else is a lie, but calling it progressive is offensive.
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p>The more likely scenario is that the days are converted to a personal day. The state will still have to pay people for that day, they’ll just do it on another day. The cost of a salaried worker whose position is not covered will remain the same, and hourly workers whose position has to be covered will still have to be covered – just not on Bunker Hill Day. Now, I’ll admit that overtime costs may be slightly higher when everyone takes the day off at the same time versus spreading it out over the year, but I doubt the difference is significant.
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p>So it’s either a cut in compensation pretending to be a “good gov’t” reform or it’s a “savings” that doesn’t actually save anything that gives the Republican party a political victory.
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p>As far as the “inconvenience” arguement goes, most schools are closed on MLK day – many, many people in the private sector have to work that day – by your reasoning, eliminating MLK day would also be progressive. Yom Kippur is a day many schools are closed, should we force the schools to stay open then because many private workplaces are open for business? What about school vacation and summer break?
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You’re right people won’t lose an overall vacation day. The $5-6 million in cost for this special perk (according to Mass Taxpayers Foundation) comes from OT for places that have to operate 365 (police, fire, hospitals) and lost productivity from having all those government offices closed on these days. As far as I can tell, this does count the increased pensions that stem from the OT, basically 80% of the difference between a regular days pay and an OT days pay every year of each OT eligible pensioners retirement.
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p>What about Christmas? What about Thanksgiving? That’s the same weak slippery slope argument put forward by “Jackie White Tie” Hart. It’s very possible for one holiday to be justified and another not to be. All things are a matter of degree and, frankly, I don’t think there would be any attention to this if they hadn’t got greedy and felt the need to grab not one, but two special holidays.
I went to the MA taxpayer association, and while I found an article from the Metro that said the MTFoundation said it cost $5-6 million, nothing on their site talked about it at all, so please provide a link, otherwise, I’ll stick with my logic.
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p>Here again, because it’s clearly not getting through. The differential cost of a paid day off to the state is the number of hours x the cost of coverage. It doesn’t matter when that day is, however.
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p>Let’s assume the differential cost is $100, and there are 365 staff. The cost of paying for Bunker Hill day would be $36,500 (100 dollars x 365 staff x 1 day). If we force people to take that day off on another day so only one person can take the day off at a time, the cost would still be $36,500 (100 dollars x 1 staff x 365 days) because all 365 staff still get one day. Ergo, this bill does not save the state any money at all.
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p>What folks are saying is “These holidays cost the state $5 million, lets eliminate them.” Your filling in “and we’ll save that money.” But we don’t save that money. Now as I said, the cost of covering a holiday may be greater than the cost of covering a single day spread throughout the year, but what is that additional cost? Is it $5 million? Okay, let’s talk, but proponents of this measure don’t offer up any real facts to show actual savings – you’re being manipulated.
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p>And I’m not making a slippery slope arguement, I was pointing out the lack of reason in your “inconvenience” arguement – these holidays are not more or less “inconvenient” than any other holiday.
I don’t have enough information to address the revenue aspects of this isssue. But I will speak briefly on the inconvenience factor. It is inconvenient because MOST PEOPLE DO NOT HAVE THESE DAYS AS HOLIDAYS. So I, being a normal person, am working on June 17 and I try to call a DCR office in Boston, or any other office, located in Boston and it is closed. Or on my lunch hour I try to go to the Registry or City Hall. It is very inconvenient when these services are closed IN ONE COUNTY on what to us is a random day.
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p>Touching on the revenue issue, I was told by an employee who would be impacted, that it was her expectation that if the law were changed to eliminate these holidays, that eventually their contract would be changed and that they would have two fewer holidays per year.
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p>As far as not cost neutral, it would depend on the contract. Assuming that these holidays did become personal days and assuming that currently employees who work holidays get a day off for the holiday and time and a half for working a holiday.
Now: cost of that employee on a holiday week. Works 4.0 days, gets paid for 5.5 days.
Changed to personal day: cost of that employee on the week that the personal day is used. Works 4.0 days, gets paid for 5.0 days.
Savings: 0.5 days pay.
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p>I am just making assumptions about what is standard in many bargaining units. Do you have any information that people who work these days do not get OT or a holiday differential?
Because it’s a holiday, all essential workers (cops, firefighters, hospital workers) are getting paid time and a half. Overtime is not cost neutral. The cop who usually make $40 an hour is now making $60 an hour. For and 8 hour shift, that $160 for one employee. Which we pay 80% of again every year of each employees retirement because of the boost in pension the extra pay provides. It’s also a safe assumption that we actually need extra cops on March 17- those “Evacuation Day” celebrations can get pretty rowdy!
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p>Unfortunately, I can find any real details on the breakdown of the MTF $5-6 mil number. Clearly, it does cost something though, and all that overtime will add up fast. As for lost productivity, I’ll also admit the savings from this do not come as cash in hand- as the OT does. However, I’d hope you’d concede that two days operation of those offices do have a dollar value above 0.
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p>Clearly, fixing this is not going to solve all the problems in this state. But look, it’s a insider deal, it does cost some money, and it’s a major pain for people (especially working families) living and working in Boston. Other than Howie Carr doesn’t like these holidays, what is the progressive reason to keep them?
As Kate points out (I think the content is wrong – holiday pay is usually paid at straight time unless you’re working – but her reasoning is right) holidays can have a larger differential than personal days, but covering for a personal day still requires the existing staff to work more hours, which if most folks are at full time, is going to include overtime. So that cop making $60 an hour is going to make $60 an hour on bunker hill day or when they get overtime to cover their buddies shift who’s taking a personal day –
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p>…unless they get paid $80 an hour on Bunker Hill Day because it’s a holiday. I’ve conceded this point from the start, if the differential between a personal day and a holiday is different, then the switch will save money, but it might not. In all the hand wringing over this on this site, no one has pointed to anything more substantive than the Metro and Howie Carr.
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p>What is the progressive reason to keep civic holidays? How about the democratic party is in the pocket of bankers whose interests are to have you and I work more for less, anything that moves us closer to that is not progress.
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p>The progressive solution to the terrible inconvenience of not being able to call non essential city services on Bunker Hill day is to get more people to have that day off – or at least start a debate about how many workers cannot take off holidays at all. The progressive solution to the “problem” of state workers getting a decent and secure retirement is to ensure that all workers get a decent and secure retirement.
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p>Our society and the political party that claims to represent the working class has given up on leisure for all but the wealthiest. Getting smashed on St. Patrick’s Day and getting an extra three day weekend at the beginning of summer might not seem like noble pursuits, but the powers that be are trying to take that away from everyone and on this issue, you’re helping them.
we won’t go after any smaller inside deals or waste, until everyone has perfect economic security. I’m sure that Murray and DeLeo would have got around to all that yesterday, if the weren’t distracted by this and too busy having to pretend to work, http://www.boston.com/news/loc…
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p>I agree bankers call too many shots, but right now they do it here through the hackocracy. You, my friend, are helping them.
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p>And people still can get drunk on St. Patrick’s day, I know I plan to- boo hoo if a small number have to start drinking at 5, instead of noon. They can make it up by drinking OT.
Your basic premise is that days off are covered by overtime. My basic premise is that under normal cirucmstances they would not be. In my experience the latter is true more often than the former but I can’t speak for the employees that would be impacted by this possible change. To put things in perspective, I spoke with a Boston city employee who gets potentially 58 paid days per year. That does include 15 days sick time, so there is a minimum of 43 paid days with holidays, personal days and vacation.
March 17th was St. Patrick’s Day in 1776, so this claim
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is just out and out wrong. It was a historical coincidence, but March 17, 1776 is the day that the capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony ceased to be occupied by the navy that the colony was at war with.
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p>Did Boston’s large Irish population play a role in exploiting this coincidence to get St. Patrick’s Day off? I’m sure they did, but there’s no “switcharoo” going on here.
I have seen more hacks getting shit-faced wearing green. than laying wreaths, or praying, or meditating at Bunker or Breeds Hill. Memo to Jack the Hack Hart: Retail stores are open on:
New Years Day, ssdd, end it.
MLK Day, he was nothing without the Birmingham bus strike.
President’s Day
Evacuation Day: especially the bars
Good Friday: more people have this day off than the hack holidays
Easter
Patriots Day:
Memorial Day
Bunker Hill Day
July 4th
Labor Day
Veteran’s Day
Columbus Day: eliminate this day too
New Years Eve
Sorry Jack the Hack: no sale.
…you say “exploiting the coincidence.”
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p>A rose by any other name smells just as sweet.