Page 337 - Scranton News Today

To pay for people to get these guaranteed pengs long term. i understand thats what the unions negotiated. i dont think they negotiated in bad faith. but they negotiated under terms where they thought they would have a lot of more people living there. with the economy the way its been and the changes we have not been -- realized that were promised, you end up with municipalities having to cut workers. they dont have enough people making enough money in order to feed the budget that they have. the...

The whole city and well get through this. >> the state judge has issued an injunction against the mayor to prevent him from paying firefighters and police less than their salary, but he did it anyway. now theyre trying to appeal to a federal court. im joined by john judge, a firefighter in scranton and president of the scranton firefighters international association of firefighters local 60. appreciate your time. tell us, what does this mean in real dollars to you and your family and whats the r...

Up next, florida closes its only tuberculosis hospital even after a report from the cdc warning of an outbreak of the disease. >> and the big finish, budget cults force the mayor of scranton, pennsylvania, to slash wanls for public workers. ill ask a local firefighter what the pay cut means to his family. stay tuned.

Ron, this is a mess politically but its a real crisis for the city, the mayor and these poor workers. >> reporter: yeah, i think its mostly a mess thats financial because you have democrats on the city council, democratic mayor, democratic town essentially, arguing about how to solve this very deep structural problem. as you know, scranton has been a distressed city in this state for the better part of 20 years. the property tax base has declined, population has left, industrys left. and the may...

However, the hospital was still closed after the report. as a former hospital corporation executive, scott should have known tuberculosis is highly contagious and is the worlds second biggest infectious killer. we should also point out that governor scott will not expand medicaid as outlined by the affordable care act. his state will lose billions of dollars in federal funding for health care. even though its clearly needed in his state. tonight, in our survey, i asked, should americans be consi...

Taking all appropriate steps to make sure we right this wrong. >> ice cream truck. >> ron allen is live in scranton. this issue is pinning a democrat against unions. how is that irony playing out in the city and what do the unions plan to do next on this? >> well, its all democrats. the city council, the mayor. theyre all democrats. and so its interparty politics if you will. but its mostly about money and the courts. the unions have taken the city to court. the courts have ruled in their favor....

Good afternoon, andrea. thanks so much. good afternoon to you, alex. coming up here, its like the movie "groundhog day." more heated debate right now over another attempted appeal -- repeal of the health care law. well have both sides. plus, mixed reaction to mitt romneys speech today at the naacp convention. and is he getting any closer to picking a running mate? that and the mystery over jesse jackson junior and trouble in scranton, p.a. every communications provider is different but cen...

Are about 16 million in the hole and they have $15 million in healthcare expenses and he said most of that is going toward retirees in the city of scranton. these are the struggles that so many cities across america are facing. bill: this is a middle size town. wait until you get into detroit, michigan, the issues go on and on. interesting interview. the big split among voters that could decide the race for the white house. a brand-new poll shows a fascinating divide. ed rollins, what that could...

Declined everyone who could afford to leave did. so youre left with a situation where the tax base plummets. >>en an youre still paying 400 public workers in scranton. >>en an we have this huge income inequality. we have huge income inequality issue in this country. part of that is because of the disparity in education. its this death spiral where because you cant afford a quality education, the kids dont have an equality of opportunity. more of the wealthiyer individuals leave. >> right. >> of ...

Paying salaries, i have to have gas in the police cars, diesel in the fire trucks. when you have a shortfall youre trying to balance it out. our employees do a great job. we know we have to pay them and as a mayor im trying to make it work so i can provide all the services to the people of our city and make sure that we take care of our employees. martha: youve got a tough job in a place that has had some long-term financial woes. we will watch your situation and see how it all works out. mayor,...