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COMMUNITY
JANUARY 11, 2013
Capstone pension reform agreement announced between City of Long Beach and IAM, its largest bargaining group
ing annual savings of approximately $3.8 million in the General Fund and $11.8 million in all funds. Through Fiscal Year 2023, the amendment is projected to save the City an estimated $40.1 million in the General Fund and $125.5 million in all funds, according to the City of Long Beach. The agreement establishes a new pension tier for IAM employees hired after Jan. 1, 2013, with a benefit formula of 2 percent for each year worked, and eligibility for full retirement at age 62. Retirement compensation would be based on a three-year final average salary. All IAM members would pay their full share of employee retirement costs. The IAM’s current contract would be extended one year through Sept. 30, 2014, with no additional raises scheduled, and a provision of no further IAM employee layoffs through Sept. 30, 2013. This agreement will be brought to the City Council in open session shortly, according to a press release issued Wednesday by the City of Long Beach. If formally approved by the City Council, this agreement with the City’s largest labor union would be a significant accomplishment and result in considerable savings for the City, according to the press release.
The City of Long Beach and the International Association of Machinists (IAM) announced a hallmark agreement on Wednesday, Jan. 9 to significantly reduce pension costs, enact pension reform and provide future budget relief. The IAM approved the agreement in a vote that concluded Wednesday. The vote delivers the capstone agreement that completes the City’s three-year effort to reform pensions. “This has been an arduous process, but we now have reformed public pensions in Long Beach,” Mayor Bob Foster said Wednesday. “Today’s vote means savings of $11.8 million dollars next year and creates a more sustainable system for the future. I thank each of the city employees who voted for these reforms and applaud the IAM leadership for their efforts.” Ray Rivera, Grand Lodge representative, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, Western Territory, said he’s very proud of his membership for stepping up to the plate in these difficult economic times. “With a majority of our membership residing in Long Beach, we were pleased to be able to come to an agreement that benefits our members, the city and the community with an estimated savings of more than $125 million through 2023,” he said. The agreement will result in an ongo-
Source: City of LB
As part of the City of Long Beach Peace Week activities, 6th District Councilmember Dee Andrews will host “A Day in the Life of Martin Luther King, Jr.” on Thursday, Jan. 17 from 4:30pm to 7pm, at Martin Luther King, Jr. Park’s Social Hall, 1950 Lemon Ave. The event is being organized in conjunction with: the Peace Week Committee; Long Beach Department of Parks, Recreation & Marine; and the California Conference for Equality & Justice (CCEJ). Christopher Covington, a 6th district resident and community youth activist, will organize the discussion with community leaders, who will share their knowledge and personal stories about interacting with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with the new generation of youth. This will include a workshop designed to have participants foster new ideas that will allow positive changes to occur in local neighborhoods.
The event will also feature a presentation by CCEJ that will include its annual report on hate crimes and acts of violence happening in communities on national, statewide, and local levels. CCEJ will also demonstrate how to promote King’s message of peace and unity. “This event will provide our youth an opportunity to share in the experiences of what occurred during the Civil Rights Movement,” Andrews said. “Moreso, it will encourage our youth to promote Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s message of peace, love, and understanding in our community.” Residents of all ages and backgrounds are welcome to attend the event, which will include free refreshments. Peace Week is a week of selected activities created by Andrews in an effort to unify and uplift the community. For more information on the Peace Week events, call Andrews’s office at (562) 570-6816.
Peace Week activities to include personal MLK stories, hate-crimes report and workshop highlighting ‘positive changes’
It’s a Matter of Life
Everything you always wanted to know about cremation but were afraid to ask Kenneth McKenzie Columnist
One of the considerations that comes up when a loved one passes is what is involved with the cremation process. These “true or false” questions may help you understand this option.
True or false? The cremation process takes four to six hours. False. The cremation process is completed within two to three hours. However, people are living a little larger these days, so when cremating a person weighing more than 350 pounds, an additional hour or more is required to complete the process.
True or false? Hamburger fast-food locations give off more emissions than a crematorium. True! I found this weird myself.
True or false? Black smoke rises from a large smoke stack during cremation, and this is why most crematories operate only at night. False. With today’s modern equipment, there is no smoke emitted into the envi-
ronment. This is because the crematory chamber has an afterburner that burns the smoke prior to it exiting the crematory building. The “stack” (smoke stack) actually stands a mere 36 inches above the roof line. Crematories normally operate during regular business hours. There are some exceptions; we choose to cremate a larger person in the evening as I have noticed a light smoke does appear in this case. It is not a requirement, but just the proper thing to do, if you ask me.
True or false? We can cremate more than one body at a time. True. (Yeah, I know that got your attention.) I have cremated two or more persons at the same time when I had written permission from the deceased’s family. This is a very rare occurrence and happens in instances such as a husband and wife dying within hours or days of each other or multiple family members involved in an accident at the same time. Besides these rare special requests, each cremation is done individually, one at a time, as required by California state law. Kenneth McKenzie is the owner of McKenzie Mortuary in Long Beach.
SIGNAL TRIBUNE
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DLBA to provide free workshops to help small businesses find financing
The Downtown Long Beach Associates (DLBA) will host three free informational workshops that are designed to connect small businesses to available financing on Thursday, Jan. 17. A panel of experts from the Valley Economic Development Corporation (VEDC) and Citi Community Development (CCD) will be present to discuss and explain the various financing options and the respective application processes. The workshops are the latest component of the Capital Connections program, which the DLBA recently launched in partnership with the California Downtown Association (CDA) and CCD. Designed to target businesses in Downtown Long Beach with
gross revenues of $1 million or less, the initiative aims to provide access to critical financial opportunities traditionally unavailable to small businesses by connecting them to Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), such as VEDC. “We’ve developed these workshops as a resource to help promote detailed information that small businesses can use to succeed,” said DLBA President and CEO Kraig Kojian. “Small businesses are a key economic driver and the backbone of our Downtown, and the DLBA is always identifying ways to extend new programs and opportunities, such as our Capital Connections workshops, that are designed to help businesses
grow.” The workshops will be offered at the Small Business Development Center, 309 Pine Ave., as follows: Session 1: 9am to 10:30am Session 2: 10:45am to 12:15pm Session 3: 2pm to 3:30pm
Two-hour free parking is available at the CityPlace parking structure, located at 151 East 5th Street. Small businesses are welcome to attend any of the 90-minute workshops. Attendees should RSVP to Tyler Kim via tylerk@dlba.org or (562) 436-4259. For more information about the DLBA and its businesses assistance programs, call (562) 436-4259 or visit