Union cuts deal so no layoffs needed

A city union that faced the prospect of seeing three junior public works employees laid off opted this week to cut a deal instead.
Several city officials said that rather than watch a trio of painful layoffs, Local 1338 of Council 4 of the American Federation of State, County and Muncipal Workers agreed to give up the 1. 8 percent pay hikes that its members were due to receive in the coming fiscal year.
The decision means the city's $170.8 million budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1 won't include any layoffs.
The concessions by Local 1338, which represents many of the municipal employees who normally work outside, erased the need for layoffs entirely, the officials said.
Mayor Art Ward said repeatedly in recent weeks that he hoped the unions would agree to concessions so that nobody would be laid off, particularly when so many young workers are struggling to raise small children and make a home for them.

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
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City budget approved with layoff and doubts

City leaders approved a $170.8 million spending plan Thursday that would freeze property taxes, ax 14 currently vacant positions, snatch $2.5 million out of the rainy day fund and lay off three public works employees.

“The economy and the taxpayers are at the edge of a cliff and I don’t think we should push them off,” Finance Chairman Rich Miecznikowski said.

The budget approval at a joint session of city councilors the Board of Finance locks in the mill rate at last year’s level and preserves municipal services.

Two councilors voted against the budget -- Democrats Craig Minor and Kevin McCauley. They said it took too great a bite out of public works.

“This was a tough, tough, tough budget,” Mayor Art Ward said, but one that takes into account the dire economy and sinking revenues coming to City Hall from a fiscally strapped state.

It calls for spending $108,000 less the city allocated in last year’s budget, which apparently proved insufficient to cover costs. Ward said a deficit looms as the fiscal year approaches an end this month.

To keep spending down, officials delayed bonding, put off nearly all equipment purchases, cut road paving in half and other measures that for the most part merely postponed spending that will ultimately prove necessary.

“We’ve made hard choices and difficult choices,” Miecznikowski said.

For city Councilor Mike Rimcoski, a Republican, it proved the first budget in four years he could support -- because it freezes property tax rates.

Minor, who is not seeking reelection, said a half a mill tax hike would have covered many of the needs in public works that are going begging in Ward’s budget, including building repairs and road fixes.

Public works is “taking big, big hits,” said city Councilor Cliff Block, who voted to make those hits. He said officials are merely doing what the public demands of them.

McCauley, who wanted a .39 mill hike, said that public works spending has reached “a dangerous and critical point of not being able to maintain our infrastructure.”

“It’s a safety issue,” he said.

Janet Moylan, a finance commissioner, said the city has to make hard choices just like families must when their income shrinks.

Ron Messier, another finance board member, said the budget process this year “brought everyone together” as a team in ways he hasn’t seen in recent years, when factions have clashed on spending priorities.

This time around, education, which has been a battlefield, provided few fireworks. Officials provided about half the increase sought by schools and nobody protested. School officials are working out how they’ll cope but have said they won’t let any cuts hurt classrooms.

Councilors and finance board members alike said they figure next year’s budget will make this year’s version look like a walk in the park. They promised to start working on it in August and keep at it all year.

Three layoffs likely in public works; police take hit, too

Unless the municipal union that represents public works employee agrees to wage concession that it has already rejected, three workers will be laid off this month.

Targeted for elimination -- in a bid to save $138,000 -- are a maintenance equipment operator, labor and solid waste driver.

Officials of Local 1338 of Council 4 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Workers said they don’t know if the union will reconsider its stance on concessions.

Mayor Art Ward said if they want to change their position on wage concessions in order to save the trio of jobs, they need to act swiftly.

The other city union that declined to make concessions, which represents police officers, won’t face layoffs.

But the police are getting socked under the new budget as well.

If the police union refuses to make contract concessions to save money within a few days, the budget would take both a lieutenant and a sergeant and return them to the ranks of patrol officers.

That would save $30,000 but would make it less likely that officers as a whole would collect overtime and limit their promotional opportunities.

The city is also planning to trim overtime by $78,000 as part of the move.

The result, the mayor said, would save enough money from the department while bolstering the officers who are out in the front ranks.

"That's not compromising public safety," Ward said.

Only one city councilor, Democrat Kevin McCauley, voted against slicing the jobs.

But Democrat Frank Nicastro abstained on the public works cut because his son, Frank Nicastro, Jr is the maintenance equipment operator.

The younger Nicastro wouldn’t lose his city job, however, because he has the right to bump more junior personnel in lower positions.

In the end, typically, the three newest hires wind up with pink slips in this situation, the city’s personnel director, Diane Ferguson, said.

City Councilor Ken Cockayne said he appreciates the concessions made by other city unions and hopes Local 1338 and the police follow suit.

“I don’t want to see anyone lose their jobs in these tough times,” Cockayne said.

Fact Box

Proposed spending:  $170.8 million

Education share:  $102.3 million

City share: $67.7 million

Proposed mill rate:  25.99

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

City layoffs likely as some unions say no to concessions

It appears likely that City Hall will have to lay off at least some municipal workers in order to balance its proposed $170 million budget for the coming fiscal year.

Though some city employees have agreed to concessions that can close some of the financial gap in the spending plan slated for approval Thursday, it’s probably not enough to make up the $342,000 hole in the draft budget.

Mayor Art Ward said he still hopes that each of the city's unions would agree that saving jobs is their priority "but that's not my decision to make."

Ward said he has no choice other than "to fill that monetary void" in the budget with savings from concessions or layoffs.

"Everybody has to share the pain, unfortunately," the mayor said.

The union representing the workers inside City Hall, Local 233 of Council 4 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Workers, has voted to give back its approved 3 percent annual raise in the new fiscal year that begins July 1.

But the union for the city's so-called "outside" workers, Local 1338, refused to make concessions,  its members opting to keep their 1.8 percent pay hikes even if it costs fellow workers their jobs.

The police union also declined to accept a cut. Firefighters are in arbitration on their contract so the concession issue never even came up.

The Bristol Professionals and Supervisors Association is expected to accept a wage freeze for the coming year.

It appears, then, that any layoffs would cut into police ranks a bit and into the rolls mostly of public works.

On Wednesday, at a closed-door City Council session, the details of whatever has gone on in the negotiations will be discussed with the six city councilors. Perhaps some decisions will be made after the executive session.

The picture will be clear on Thursday when the Board of Finance and City Council hold a joint meeting, in public, to approve a final $170 million spending plan that freezes property taxes and balances expected revenue with spending. 

After that, officials will start trying to figure out how to cope with next year, when the situation looks more dire.

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
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Concessions or not?

The union representing the workers inside City Hall has voted to give back its raise during the next fiscal year.

But the union for the city's so-called "outside" workers refused to make concessions. The police union declined to accept a cut. And the firefighters are in arbitration on their contract already so the issue never even came up.

The Bristol Professionals and Supervisors Association are expected to vote today to accept a wage freeze for the coming year.

It appears, then, that any layoffs would cut into police ranks a bit and into the rolls mostly of public works.

Mayor Art Ward said he still hopes to avoid layoffs, but recognizes they'll probably be necessary before the budget can be approved Thursday.

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
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Union concessions?

It isn't clear whether the city's unions are going to go along with a request to make concessions in order to prevent layoffs.

Mayor Art Ward said he still hopes that each of the city's unions would agree that saving jobs is their priority "but that's not my decision to make."

Talks are still going on, he said.

"Everything is open until the end of business" today, the mayor said.

On Wednesday, at a closed-door City Council session, the details of whatever has gone on in the negotiations will be discussed with the six city councilors. Perhaps some decisions will be made after the executive session.

Ward said he has no choice other than "to fill that monetary void" in the budget with savings from concessions or layoffs.

"Everybody has to share the pain, unfortunately," the mayor said.

It's virtually certain that at least some layoffs will be necessary, officials said.

The picture will be clear on Thursday when the Board of Finance and City Council hold a joint meeting, in public, to approve a final $170 million spending plan that freezes property taxes and balances expected revenue with spending. 

After that, officials will start trying to figure out how to cope with next year, when the situation looks more dire.

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Two City Council sessions this week

The City Council will hold a special meeting at 5 p.m. Wednesday to talk about potential concessions by unions that may help stave off layoffs.

Mayor Art Ward said most of the meeting will be held in secret, or executive, session, as the law allows.

On Thursday at 5:30 p.m., a joint meeting of the council and Board of Finance will approve a final municipal budget that is expected to freeze property taxes. It may include layoffs, Ward said, if the union talks don’t produce enough savings.

That won’t be known until as late as Thursday morning, city Comptroller Glenn Klocko said. He said he’s waiting to see what happens just like everyone else.

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
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Property tax freeze on tap in new budget

City fiscal overseers plan Tuesday to approve a $170.8 million budget that freezes property taxes and reduces spending slightly from this year’s level.

Mayor Art Ward said the spending plan the Board of Finance will consider assumes that officials find a way to save the $1.8 million needed to close a gap in the preliminary budget.

Officials have spent months paring the spending plan by putting off equipment purchases, leaving vacant positions empty and slicing allocations for big ticket items such as road paving.

But when they finished taking a hatchet to the budget, finance officials still had another $1.8 million to slice away. Since they are determined to freeze the mill rate, they need to reduce the spending even more, with no clear path to follow.

That means the city has to reach deals for concessions with its unions or lay off workers before the final vote on the budget at a June 4 joint session of the finance board and City Council.

At this point, it appears the city will reach deals with some of its unions, but probably not all of them.

At least three unions – representing police, firefighters and the city’s so-called “outside workers” in public works and parks, mostly – have shown no serious interest in making cuts to the negotiated settlements already in place, according to four city officials who said they couldn’t talk about sensitive discussions on the record.

On the other hand, Local 233 of the America Federation of State, County and Municipal Workers – which represents most of the City Hall employees – has voted to make concessions, they said, and so has the union to which most city supervisors belong.

What that means is that there will probably be some layoffs in some departments while others will be spared because workers cut a deal that saves the city money.

Ward said he’ll be continuing negotiations with the unions in the coming week. He said he hopes he can prevent layoffs.

School Superintendent Philip Streifer said Friday that he doesn’t think he’ll have to lay off any teachers. He said the reductions to the school budget are going to be felt outside the classroom, not in it.

David Bertnagle, the city’s chief accountant, said Friday that the proposed spending plan going to the finance board is a little less than $108,000 below the city’s budget for the fiscal year that ends June 30.

It isn’t clear how long it’s been since the city has reduced its overall spending, but it has likely been many years.

Finance Chairman Rich Miecznikowski said that his board plans to begin working on the 2010-2011 budget much sooner than normally.

He said the panel would start calling in department heads much earlier “so we can get a handle on it” starting as soon as August rather than waiting until wintertime to start crafting the next spending plan.

Want to know more?

The Board of Finance meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the City Council chambers on the first floor of City Hall.

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
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Talks between city and unions today were cooperative, mayor says

Ward said he is trying to reach a deal for givebacks from the unions.

In talks Friday, he said, the atmosphere was “very amiable” and cooperative.

Though no deals were struck, the mayor said, the concession talks will continue.

“They have ideas. We have ideas,” Ward said.

After union officials have a chance to talk things over with members, the mayor said, they’ll meet with the city again. He said he’s not sure of the timetable.

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City, unions talk concessions, keep smiling

Emerging from a small meeting room after more than 90 minutes of closed-door discussions Thursday about possible concessions, both city and municipal union leaders were smiling.
Tom Bentivengo, a firefighter, called it “a very good meeting, very productive.”
Though no decisions were reached – and apparently no concrete measures were even put on the table – city leaders said they’re happy that union officials are willing to discuss possible change to existing contracts that might save taxpayers’ money.
Mayor Art Ward said that after the union officials have a chance to talk with their rank-and-file during the next week or so, more sessions will be held that will go into more depth about possible courses of action.
As an opening step, Ward and several city officials met with leaders of municipal unions to lay out the budget situation and explain why there’s a $1.8 million gap that needs to be covered by concessions or layoffs, unless unanticipated revenue arrives.
Without concessions, the city is eyeing as many as 30 layoffs to trim its costs, but Board of Finance and elected officials say they don't want to put anyone on the unemployment line if they can help it.
They also say, however, that they plan to freeze property taxes, which eliminates one source of securing the needed money to fund the expected budget.
The city plans to adopt its annual budget on June 4, assuming a legal change is approved next week to push back the budget adoption deadline.
Ward said that gives the city a few weeks to talk with each of its unions and see what, if anything, can be worked out.
Though participants didn’t want to talk about what they said behind closed doors, somebody left behind their notes.
One question, clearly written by a union official, asked, “When the economy improves, are you going to replace what you want from us now?”
That’s something Ward is sure to hear, if he didn’t hear it Thursday. The answer is one of many unknowns surrounding the talks.
Some cities around the state have laid off or furloughed workers. Some municipal unions in other communities have agreed to wage freezes and other measures that have helped stave off layoffs.
It isn’t clear what will happen in Bristol, but it was obvious after the initial meeting that both union and city officials are keen to cooperate.
“It’s pretty open right now,” Ward said.

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
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Concession talks underway

Mayor Art Ward and a number of top city officials are meeting this afternoon with municipal union leaders about possible measures that could reduce costs and relieve the pressure to lay off workers to save money.
About two dozen officials jammed into a meeting room starting at 1:30. I have no idea how long they'll be there.
There probably won't be much accomplished today. It's mostly a chance to put some cards on the table and see what, if anything, might be worth pursuing in the days and weeks ahead.
The city is eyeing as many as 30 layoffs to trim its costs, but Board of Finance and elected officials say they don't want to put anyone on the unemployment line if they can help it.
Union officials have said they have some cost-saving steps they may propose.
I'll let you know what, if anything, I can find out about what gets said.

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com