Click here, here and here for our previous coverage of Connie Xinos
A quite unrepentant Connie Xinos took the podium at the Village of Oak Book, Illinois public meeting on Tuesday evening and made comments quite similar to those he made at a September 22 Citizens Finance Advisory Committee get-together. Xinos warns firefighters that unions are not really welcomed in Oak Brook and that they better realize that or they will be replaced by a private contractor. He again says that if concessions are not agreed to by firefighters that the Village should start firing one firefighter each month. The comments from Mr. Xinos come at about the 24:00 mark. It is well worth watching to get the full impact of Connie Xinos’ anti-union sentiments.
Both before and after Connie Xinos spoke there were comments from others about the September 22 meeting. Village officials also defend themselves about their reaction to the controversial comments.
Also on STATter911 …
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- As expected DC Chief Kenneth Ellerbe makes adjustment to light duty policy impacting pregnant firefighters. Union says it’s not enough. – July 1, 2011
- Early video: Another Stockton, California fire. Will it live up to the standard set by the last one? – January 6, 2012
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This may be the most enlightening videos of the “Xinosgate” saga.
His comments regarding unions, particularly the “right way”… “out of town” statement speak volumes. Combined with his overall dislike of seemingly everyone’s salary in this village and remarks made about being “single-handedly” responsible (but he doesn’t want to say so) for apparently stopping someone’s campaign, it seems to me Xinos is simply grandstanding for an upcoming political run.
In this episode of Xinosgate, unlike the previous audio ‘episodes’, Xinos sounds nothing more or less like a man with an agenda who has more than a few grudges.
I believe Xinos may think he’s the sheriff/mayor/dictator of some small western town in the 1800′s.
In closing, I’ll say this: though Xinos comes across like a COMPLETE douche, everyone in these trying economic times must make concessions. Maybe a year without a pay increase isn’t such a horrible thing.
Oh… I see. When he called firefighters “street people” he was attributing “street smarts” to firefighters. Got it. As Judge Judy would say, “Liar, liar, pants on fire.” What ever happened to bargaining in good faith? Threatening to fire people if you don’t get your way is coercion. I wonder how Mr. Xinos would react if he had a contract with the Village and someone threatened to harm his family if he didn’t alter it. I think anyone who has listened to this “gentleman” knows the answer.
Tom
I normally do not wish ill on people, but this guys house needs to catch fire…..and the fireman need to do nothing. That would be poetic justice for this guy.
I actually have more respect for him after hearing him speak. It is bull that government wastes so much money and always wants more taxes. I can also see why he’d be mad that their FD makes 40% more than other depts yet keeps asking for more and more. Unions are a great thing but can be corrupted like every other org.
Ok lets be fair here. If the average firefighter there IS making $130,000 a year, then this guy may not be just blowing smoke. Times are damn tight out here, in fact, here in the rustbelt, we’ve never recovered from the LAST big recession in the 80s. I don’t care if the fed government announced that the recession is over…it’s not over here and everyone has needed to step up and make some sacrifices…including our firefighters. Maybe its time for the IAFF to end this before the tide turns and a PR nightmare unfolds when its publically revealed just how much these guys are really making. A couple years without a raise would signal that you are willing to help out. Hell, I haven’t had a raise in 9 years and I’M UNION!
I sincerely hope that the Firefighters Union contacted the Department of labor.
As a former union president for a location of a large national ambulance company, we were faced with the same statements from a member of management. The DOL issued a cease and desist order against the company and assured that federal charges would be brought for any further incidents.
While people like Xinos maybe harsh, we cannot allow ourselves to advocate the stifling of the 1st Amendment.
While many people still revere FFs and Medics, many people believe we are generally over paid, fair or not. While FF unions are strong, they will loose to the general tax paying public in the long run if they don’t compromise.
Holy cow!! 8,828 residence and these guys are making over $130,000, WTF? I dont make a F’in dime for this and these guys are makin $130,000 to $200,000 dollars a year. Holy s###!!
“The Department consists of 32 full-time sworn personnel including the Fire Chief, three Battalion Chiefs, and 28 firefighters and firefighter/paramedics.” I found this on the internet. http://www.oakbrook.org/dep_vservices/fire_dept.shtml
WTF!! No wonder the guy is pissed off! I know of departments east of the this that have more residence and make more runs per year and are getting paid less. Sorry brothers I disagree on this one.
If I were a tax payer in this village I would be pissed off too.
WTF!!
We need more guys like him. Settle the contract, he isn’t looking to cut pay, he is looking for government to be responsible.
Professional athletes can demand some hefty salaries to play games. I think the firefighters should do the same. What makes their life any more important than firefighters? Nothing. Oak Brooke needs to step up and pay for the services provided and not make me pay for it by way of taxing McDonalds who in turn raises prices to the consumer. You don’t want to pay property tax then go start your own country, if not then “suck it up” and do the same as the rest of us Americans do.
As a 30+-year firefighter and former Teamster, I agree with many of the other comments; these guys need a dose of reality. The Check Firehouse Mag for the annual FF pay rates. These guys are off the chart at $130,000.00. Most career guys don’t make that much and this department can’t get a contract in 32 months. Sorry to say but shame on them. Try looking out East, many departments with 2 or 3 or more times the area and population services by completely volunteers. I don’t like what this guy is saying, but I agree with most of it.
His remarks are undiplomatic and inappropriate, and maybe illegal. That said, It seems that the fire department in Oakbrook may be overpaid, relative to others, and in this tough economic time they should share the pain.
Please consider this before calling your brothers greedy, or giving this guy credit. I’d agree with some of his points if they were based in reality, but they’re not.
The Facts:
1-While Oak Brook has only 8,500 residents, it is also home to the headquarters of many major multinational corporations, including McDonalds, and has a daytime population of nearly 100,000.
2-Oak Brook residents pay NO VILLAGE PROPERTY TAXES and get all village services, including Fire and Police protection for FREE, thanks to the commercial infrastructure in their town.
3-Oak Brook is a very affluent community, where the Median Income is over $150,000, and the average home value is nearly half-a-million dollars.
4-Oak Brook Firefighters salaries are between 50-80K/year (well within the range of Chicago Area Firefighter salaries). The figures being thrown around (130-140K) are TOTAL compensation. This includes pension, insurance, and other benefits. Neither the employees, nor their union has any control over the cost of these items, and many, including pensions are mandated by the state.
5-While this angry resident may say that Unions aren’t welcome in his town, unless he can move Oak Brook out of Illinois, he is mistaken. Illinois is not a right-to-work state, and protections for unions are the law of the land.
6-Overtime is the village’s decision- The Village and Union agreed to a minimum manning level to protect the town. The Village has elected to hire the minimum number of employees to fill the slots they agreed to fill. Every time an employee has a Kelley day, vacation day, sick day, etc they must be replaced with another career firefighter (another state law.
It is ridiculous that firefighter’s can nearly double their salary with OT, but Oak Brook could drastically cut overtime payments by hiring enough employees to cover the shifts they agreed to in the first place.
Let me clear this up…daytime population soars to 90K plus, there are huge commercial buildings, huge residentail homes (some close to 30K sq. ft.) several large hotels and TWO major interstates running through town. They make in the lower third for all comparing towns in the area….and they have no “step plan” like ALL other IAFF town. Please get the facts straight and don’t listen to anything this guy says…
Oh, forgot to mention…
They have had no raises for 2.5 years.
Why shouldn’t they make $100000?
They are far more valuable to society than sports figures and other celebrities.
How much does Xinos make as a criminal attorney? How many pieces of s*it has he turned loose on society by twisting the law?
And now he might have to pay property taxes on his gated community home – boo f’n hoo
They arent making $130K take home. That number is including pension contributions, insurance, sick time. I work at the neigboring department. I know how much the average FF/PM makes its no $130K
To Ronald McDonald:
Oak Brook does not have a large amount of full-time residents but they have a large commercial base and a LOT of corporate offices so the daytime population is much higher. The residents also don’t pay property taxes to the village, which includes fire & police. All municipal services are funded by taxes on commercial locations and the large mall in town.
Also the $130,000 is not just salary. It includes total compensation, medical, life insurance & pension. It should also be noted that Oak Brook is a fairly affluent suburb here in IL.
I am not associated with the Oak Brook fire dept. My spouse is on another dept.
Ok people, use your brains. Oak Brook is testing RIGHT NOW for both full-time and part-time firefighter-paramedics. The job listing on the Village’s own website as well as other job sites lists the salary as $51,016 – $68,871. These guys are using total compensation package numbers including the amount of money that is included to cover sick time, if every firefighter uses every sick day every year. The salary range is typical for this area and is in no way exorbitant. Depending on which speech you hear from this guy he is also using the Fire Chief’s salary.
Also, Oak Brook is UNDER-staffed if you look at their first-due. Oak Brook has the most true high-rises outside the city of Chicago. All those national headquarters you keep hearing and reading about, that’s where they are. The second gentleman to speak references their ladder that has been out of service for over a year and their reliance on auto-aid to fill that void. The Village Board has no problem welching off their neighbors to provide their services.
Xinos and others are arguing they don’t want to pay taxes, in case you missed it the Village collects no property tax from residents, but they want all the services. Xinos says, “how dare you” to the Local President when he suggests levying a tax to keep services up and then shouts at the first gentleman that spoke to come up with revenue stream ideas. Given the median income of Oak Brook, these people could afford the minimum tax. Incidentally, the amount Oak Brook is in the hole is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, somewhere around 100 – 200. While other villages and cities in the area are well into the half-million dollar or more area.
Apparently Xinos really has no clue. The OBFD are members of the IAFF. They havent been Teamsters for over 7 years
Oh here is the link with the Salary info from a job posting. Top pay is not anywhere near $130K
http://www.theblueline.com/feature/ILoakbrookffp.html
Don’t get carried away with comparisons. Oak Brook is a very wealthy village. My bet is that there is no other gated community, uh, village where the individual income is so high, at least four times that of the Firefighters. As to $130,000, that is not their base salary. That is with overtime. How come overtime? Because there are simply too few to do the jobs at hand. And the Chief authorized the expenditure. Who among you would turn down this overtime?
Don’t forget also, that contract was negotiated and signed by the village and the local in good faith. As to Mr. Xinos, in my opinion, he is nothing more than a vicious bully. As I understand the situation, he is not speaking for the village because he is not an elected official.His only position is as the president of his gated homeowners association. Connie bully’s little girls and village board members alike. Notice that the Mayor, who should be telling it like it is is as silent as a tomb.
A totally ugly situation, my brothers and sister. Support Local 4646′s members and say a prayer for them. They are are under unbearable stress now because they are doing their job, holding up their part of the contract. Think of their families if that bully Connie has his way.
Just to set the record straight they aren’t making $130,000. That number is total compensation including healthcare, ect. That also includes overtime. In a properly staffed department there isn’t a need for overtime. They haven’t hired the people needed to run the department. I work in a neighboring department so I know what I’m talking about. The facts need to surface so everyone knows exactly what they are talking about. Blue shirts aren’t bringing home 130K base salary. If they are we’d use them as a comparable. Mr X has a right to his opinion but he also is nothing more than a bully. The part he doesn’t get is that the Oakbrook FD probably hates his guts they will all put their lives on the line to save his. He strikes me as they type of guy who would push women and children out of the way to get off the Titanic.
Let’s get a few things straight…First, there are NO tax payers in Oak Brook, in a town where the average income is around $150,000, the residents pay nothing for village services. Secondly, they figure that are flying around are of “total compensation”, not salary. A little research on the internet reveals the start at $51,016 and top out at $68,871. These guys are some of the lowest paid in Page county…and in Oak Brook, one of the richest suburbs in the state. Last but no least, some commented about the population…You are obviously not aware of the multiple highrises, large operation, two major highways and very large mall. The day time population is estimated at over 100,000. I just wanted to clear up some misinformation. These guys need all the help they can get.
Hey Ronald Mcdonald-did you know your corporate HQ is in that town? Did you know the daytime population of this town is over 80K? Did you know that MR Xinos pays no property tax on his huge home, because he is living off the sales taxes and commercial taxes levied on your company (Mcdonalds) and its employees? Did you know that $130K number doubtless included all employee costs, such as pension, health benefits, workers comp insurance, and the city’s social security contribution? So since you are the taxpayer-NOT Mr Xinos_what do you think?
You have to understand a few things, Oak Brook Fire Department is one of the lowest paid depts. in Dupage Co. The figures that he has come up with includes wages, taxes, medicare, pension, uniforms, turn out gear, workers comp premiums, health ins premiums, the part time fire prevention bureau wages earned under 7g, and overtime to cover short staffing. The union did not cause the overtime. 10 Staff minimum a day to cover 100 Billion Dollars worth of assessed evaluation. What kind of risk/benefit do the 8700 residents want or need? BTW there are 60,000-80,000 workers/shoppers per day. They have lost 3 FFPM’s a Deputy Chief and our secretary due to budget cuts so far.
Let me start out by saying i beleive very strongly in unions. I am a fulltime firefighter in the Chicago land area. I feel these men have a right to a contract. I beleive they have a right to solve the contract issues w/ speed. which has not occured. I also beleive that every union including theirs needs to give consessions when a unpressidented change occurs in the economy. I can state that my local has given consessions since the village is not receiving the tax revenue they were before. I also beleive that the same is true during a great economy that the members deserve their fair share. But everyone needs to do there part so that villages don’t fiscally get in any deeper of water causiong severe layoffs in the public safety sector. I priority should be the citizens. Finally I would like to say. it seems that the village has done things correctly so far and opened revenue in other areas of the city not touching public safety. So if the books have been opened to the members and the City is still fiscally screwed then its time to start doing our part also.
Maybe this is why McDonalds is going to drop health insurance for its hourly employees. So the Silver Spooned Residents of Oak Brook can live life without notice of a bad economy. Firefighters of Oak Brook, work to the rule and use your sick leave when youre not quite 100%.
Fellas, every town (and I mean EVERY) has that one or two loudmouths that stand up and rant and rave at city council meetings or board of fire commissioner meetings about how “You work for me” etc., etc. The union’s best bet is to ignore this guy, DO NOT write letters to the editor and stay out of the press. Negotiate your contract with the city, sign on the dotted line and walk away. Engaging these kind of guys only fans the flames. The individual who said he is “grandstanding” is exactly right. Treat him like I treat my kids when they throw a tantrum. I laugh and then I walk away.
Im glad I don’t live in the “village” of idiots…
Let it be known the salary figure given is WITH ALL BENEFITS INCLUDED…that means the total package. So they actually don’t make that as annual salary. Also I highly doubt “Bill Davis” is not a 30 yr FF or a former Teamster union member. It’s odd that the negotiations go on that long. I’m not sure of Illinois law but this should have gone to a mediator and then an arbitrator long before now to save money and ink a contract. It appears the ball has been dropped on that one by somebody.
Being a full time, Union Firefighter, this idiot initially really pissed me off. But then I thought about it and where I risk my life, as do all of my brothers to save lives and property whenever possible, this bozo is a criminal lawyer who makes exorbitant amounts of money by leeching off of people who really can’t afford him. I’d just let him keep making himself look like an idiot and I’ll continue to do my job and feel proud to do it.
Let me clarify – Brothers AND Sister
Cutting middle class jobs seems like to perfect solution to restore this economy. I wonder how my Xinos would feel about undercutting his job by hiring people to work for 1/4 of his wage.
Maybe one of the firefighters should give him his tax statement to prove the slander his is spreading on salary info.
Hey Ronald Mcdonald get your facts right the people who live there DO NOT PAY TAXES, they are rich free loaders who live free on sales tax. I would hate to be a Firefighter there and deal with those rich assholes, they deserve every dime they make.
For those of you who do not known Oak Brook it is one of the richest suburbs in the United States. It is the home of Mc Donalds Corp. That means that 2 cents of every hamburger that is bought in the world goes to Oak Brook. Then part of that goes to the town. This is only one of several corporations that make this town home. How do you think they have had no property tax in all those years. Back when they went to a part paid FD I was one of the several selected to become a member. When I found out that the Bunk room was over the apparatus floor and if thier should be a fire the only way out was to use the axe provided to cut through the roof to get out I went elseware.