Tuesday, April 15, 2008 | I was very offended by Fred Sainz’s comments last Friday. When asked about a looming strike by city workers, the mayor’s spokesperson coldly stated, “You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.”
Are you kidding me? I respect that the city is in a financial crisis and the mayor has a challenging task before him to place our books back in the “black.” However, it is easy to see why city workers “have become very demoralized in the last few years and… become upset and so angry that they’ve started to talk about striking,” especially when they are forced to deal with completely disengaged comments like the one above.
I am amazed that Mr. Sainz would be bold enough to make such an insensitive comment publicly. Is Mr. Sainz not aware that he is talking about people’s livelihood?
Mr. Mayor, if you want the public’s support during these changes, I would suggest you advise your staff to not appear heartless and uninterested in city staff. Otherwise, I have to side with city workers. If my boss seemed totally disinterested in my well being, I would consider striking as well.