Come Out to Vote and Join Us Today At the Convention Center!

It might be this bright, but it will be chilly!

Members of the Ocean City Employees Coalition will be outside the convention this morning, encouraging folks to vote for the charter amendment and answering questions for any residents looking for more information.  Please join us, and please remember to vote!  Remember, voting FOR the charter amendment does NOT give the employees the union – it just gives the general employees to make the choice for themselves whether they would like collective bargaining or not, just like the police, firefighters, and EMT.  The ballot question will look like this:

A replica of the ballot – please vote FOR the amendment!

Thank you and we will see you there!

Praise for Employees Crosses Many Divides

Praise for Ocean City Employees Was A Theme of Tonight’s Town Council Meeting

At the final town council meeting for Ocean City before tomorrow’s election, council members, top-ranking officials, and residents seemed to be in a competition for who could offer the most heartfelt praise of the work of Ocean City employees in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.  City manager David Recor praised the employees in his comments near the end of the meeting, citing their effort as one of the keys to how Ocean City was able to come through the storm suffering relatively little structural damage.  Joe Groves, a spokesman for the Citizens for Ocean City group, lauded town employees as “the greatest employees in the world.”  Even councilman Joe Hall got in on the act, echoing the sentiments that were often the dominant theme of the meeting.  Mayor Rick Meehan, for his part, singled out the efforts of the Public Works department as particularly worthy of attention in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

Agree with the sentiments expressed last night, and looking for a way to say “thank you” to all the town employees for their tireless efforts in cleaning up after last week’s storm?  Go to the polls tomorrow and vote YES on the charter amendment, and give the general employees the right to decide for themselves if they want collective bargaining or not, just like their colleagues in the police, fire, and emergency medical departments!

Efforts of Ocean City Employees Garnering National Notice

Ocean City general employees received some praise on the website of the American Federation of Teachers, a national union representing teachers, public employees, nurses, and other workers in an article published November 2nd:

In Ocean City, Md., city employees braced for the storm days before Sandy hit the coastal community, and followed that up with damage assessment so that city facilities could be reopened. Emergency personnel not only responded to calls during the storm, but also continued to assist residents and visitors upon their return to Ocean City, working closely with the Maryland State Highway Association, the Maryland State Police, the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Guard to make sure the town was safe.

Public Works staff assisted in picking up debris, transporting citizens to and from shelters, and cleaning up the beach. Countless other employees and volunteers worked around the clock monitoring the storm, staffing the Emergency Operations Center and meeting the needs of city residents, businesses and visitors before, during and after the storm. Damage was limited to beach erosion, flooding and marginal debris in some places, but the Ocean City Fishing Pier was severely damaged.

General city employees in Ocean City are in the midst of an organizing effort, and are watching a ballot measure that will determine whether they have collective bargaining after Nov. 6.

The whole article deals with the contributions made by public employees up and down the east coast in the aftermath of Sandy.  You can read the whole article here.

Another Successful Saturday!

Thanks to everyone who helped us knock on doors again this past Saturday – we were able to reach many more voters, and those we talked to were overwhelmingly supportive!  Please remember to get out and vote on Tuesday, and help us to achieve the right to decide for ourselves whether we would like to bargain collectively, just like the police, firefighters, and EMT!

Ocean City Employees Lead Storm Assessment, Clean-Up

A pair of press releases from the City Manager’s office in recent days have highlighted the work Ocean City general employees have been doing to help get the town back up and running after Hurricane Sandy blew through Monday night.  The first press release, from Tuesday morning, highlighted the way the employees worked effectively with other agencies to do the required assessment work prior to the re-opening of downtown Ocean City:

Town of Ocean City employees are working diligently with partnering agencies to complete the mandated damage assessment to allow residents and businesses into the downtown area as soon as possible. Currently, there is no need for volunteer services…

The second press release, announcing a return to normalcy for Ocean City, came later that day, and made clear the hard work Ocean City town employees put in to re-open downtown Ocean City:

Since before sunrise, Town of Ocean City employees have been working to assess the damage throughout town to determine the effects of Hurricane Sandy.  With no known damage to the boardwalk, the results of the initial assessment included anticipated beach erosion and flooding, marginal debris and severe damage to the Ocean City Fishing Pier.  Employees for the Town of Ocean City have been working diligently to clear storm related debris and return regularly scheduled city services.

Emergency personnel not only responded to calls during the storm, but continued to assist residents and visitors upon their return to Ocean City.  In addition, they worked closely with the Maryland State Highway Association, the Maryland State Police, the US Coast Guard and the National Guard to make sure the town was safe for citizens to return. Public Works staff assisted in picking up debris, transporting citizens to and from shelters and cleaning up the beach.  Not to mention, countless employees and volunteers who worked around the clock monitoring the Hurricane, staffing the Emergency Operations Center and meeting the needs of the residents, businesses and visitors before, during and after the storm.

Ocean City was able to survive Hurricane Sandy in realtively good condition, thanks in no small part to the efforts of its many general employees.  Clean-up will of course continue right through to election day, keeping general employees busy making Ocean City safe and beautiful again.

The end of the press release by the City Manager’s office said it best:

Due to the preparedness of… the employees, the Ocean City community experienced zero storm related injuries and minimal city-wide damage.

Please remember to thank a town employee when you see one, and please remember to show your support for the general employees by voting FOR the charter amendment on Tuesday!