On Aug. 7, members of SEIU Local 620 announced they would be going before the Guadalupe City Council on Aug. 11 to protest the city’s intent to lay off several employees to compensate for budget shortfalls.
As of press time, SEIU Local 620 spokesman Bruce Corsaw said members offered to take 10 percent salary cuts, but were told by city officials that wouldn’t be enough to balance the budget. He said SEIU 620 members were previously taking mandatory 20 percent cuts.
“Our people can’t continue to live on 20 percent pay cuts,” Corsaw said.
He said the city is now planning to lay off five employees, all of whom are from SEIU Local 620’s bargaining bracket. But union members are getting little sympathy from some city officials.
“SEIU made the choice which way they wanted to go on this,” Guadalupe’s finance director Al Hernandez said in an interview with the Sun.
Hernandez said several options were offered to city staffers, but “SEIU decided to go with layoffs.”
The 10 percent furlough, he said, wouldn’t generate enough money to balance the budget because of the funding shortfall caused by current economic conditions.
However, SEIU 620 members said in a press release that a 10 percent furlough “would be more than sufficient if city management, fire, and police would do their part for the city and make similar sacrifices.”
“If the city is having financial problems, everyone should have to feel the pain,” Corsaw added.
Financial director Hernandez insisted other city employees are doing their part.
“SEIU is feeling a big chunk of the burden, but they’re not the only ones feeling it,” he said. “The police department is down three positions because we won’t let them rehire anyone.”
The burden will continue, he said, because
the city just received word it won’t be obtaining
federal stimulus money to maintain law enforcement positions.
Still, SEIU members said city department heads should be required to go on furlough as well.
“It’s a tough call to make,” Hernandez said. “The amount our city officials make here is significantly less than market.”
When asked if he would consider going on furlough, Hernandez cited economic instability: “The city is in such a fragile financial condition. It needs someone here to track finances and make sure everything is flowing the way it’s supposed to.”
Hernandez said if he were to go on furlough, there would be no one to make sure report filings were made on time. Some late filing fines, he said, can run upside of $10,000.
“It would end up costing the city more in the long run,” he said.
This article appears in Aug 13-20, 2009.
