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TOLEDO, OH – The Finkbeiner administration Friday began notifying 75 Toledo police officers, 17 fire civilians, and 142 general-fund workers to expect to be laid off beginning May 1.
Remaining city workers in general-fund departments will be reduced to a 32-hour workweek, which is in effect a 20 percent pay cut.
The mayor hopes the 234 new layoff letters hand-delivered Friday— on top of 75 police officers already notified of a layoff — will send a reality check to the police patrolman's union and City Council.
“These are not steps I wish to take, but they are nonetheless necessary to balance the City of Toledo's budget,” Mr. Finkbeiner said in a statement announcing the layoffs. “Contract negotiations will continue, but until our unions' bargaining units recognize the need for concessions and shared sacrifice, these announced layoffs will continue as planned.
“I am again respectfully appealing to our union leaders and city council to join with us in reducing the number of layoffs through revenue enhancements and across-the-board payroll reductions,” Mr. Finkbeiner said.
The police department has about 615 officers.
Dan Wagner, president of the Toledo Police Patrolman's Association, said the mayor's goal is to break his union.
“The mayor's trying to send a message: Concede to my concessions or you're going to be without a job,” Mr. Wagner said.
But he said the hardball tactics from Mr. Finkbeiner are having the opposite effect.
“Our guys are so upset with what he's done today that they've dug their feet in the ground and they're not going to move,” Mr. Wagner said.
He portrayed the mayor's layoff notices as an instance of the mayor interfering in negotiations, and he indicated that the union believes the administration is exaggerating the deficit.
“We don't agree with the projections. Why should we give in to concessions that are based on erroneous projections?” Mr. Wagner asked.
Chief of Staff Bob Reinbolt said the union heads were told that layoff notices were unavoidable without across-the-board cuts.
“They're looking for excuses not to sit down and bargain,” Mr. Reinbolt said.
The Finkbeiner administration is basing its revenue estimates on the projections of two University of Toledo professors who examined financial data to report in February that the city's income tax would fall short of estimates made last year when the 2009 budget was proposed.
The November estimate of 2009 income tax revenues was $169.7 million. Professors David Black and Oleg Smirnov said the actual revenues will be between $140.7 million and $147.8 million.
That report spurred the city to plan for a $27.7 million deficit, which was recently reduced through cuts in spending to $20.7 million.
The union said its requests for supporting data have been rejected by the administration. The administration said the union is making information requests just to delay negotiations.
The administration has asked for 10 percent pay cuts, an end to city pickups of the employee pension contributions, and a contribution to health care.
With negotiations at a virtual standstill, both sides have agreed to begin meeting next Friday with a fact finder who will issue a recommendation.
Mr. Finkbeiner also issued a separate letter to all city employees asking them to care for each other and the citizens in this tough economic climate.
“We cannot balance this budget without your sacrifice. In good times, the city has treated us fairly. In tough times, we need to treat our citizens fairly as well,” Mr. Finkbeiner wrote.
The administration refused to release the names of those to be laid off because many of the letters have not been released, said the mayor's spokesman, Jason Webber.
He said, however, that the notices apply to everyone funded through the general fund who is not in the safety forces or collecting trash.
They include Mr. Webber himself, as well as everyone else who works for the mayor, such as Mr. Reinbolt, who signed the letters, and the law director. It includes all other general-fund employees, who are found in human resources, plan commission, finance, neighborhoods, and other departments.
Mr. Webber said many of the 142 ultimately will be dropped from the layoff list, but at least 50 percent will be laid off.
Not included are City Council, Municipal Court, and any divisions that are funded by utility funds or street assessments.
Beginning May 4, all general- fund, executive exempt employees will begin a 32-hour workweek, which amounts to a 20 percent pay cut, the administration said.
Many city departments will open Monday through Thursday, except for Public Safety, Refuse, and Public Utilities.
One police sergeant who was waiting to find out if his name was on the list said the cutbacks are bad for safety in Toledo.
Ron Frederick, 38, a sergeant, said drug kingpins in Detroit, Chicago, and Cleveland know what's going on.
“I think it's a danger to the citizens of Toledo. When you don't enforce the laws criminals tend to do very well,” Sergeant Frederick said. He said if he loses his job, he'll move his family to a city where police officers are being hired.
“I'm not going to lose my house and jeopardize my family,” Sergeant Frederick said.
