Tensions Continue To Grow Between Mayor, Union

By Lori Fullbright, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- Tulsa's Mayor took a new step toward balancing the city's budget today. He told city workers they can either take pay cuts or face layoffs.

The city's three unions have until next Wednesday to decide.

Nobody is happy with these choices and many police officers I've talked to this afternoon feel the mayor has backed them into a corner.

They feel they are more than paying the price because when you add up all the cuts, it comes to a nearly 12% cut in police payroll.

Every person on the police department would have to take a 7.5% pay cut between now and June 30th.

Plus, officers would have to give up the extra money some of them receive each month for their achievements, like having an advanced degree, speaking a second language or being in a specialty unit, like the Bomb squad.

They'd also take a seven dollar decrease to their longevity pay.

Plus, the union already agreed to give up some overtime pay, which saves $100,000 and their take home police cars, which saves $326,000 far less than when city councilors claimed it cost the city $1.1 million.

The department would also have to make a half million dollars in other cuts.

All that together, would save the $3.4 million from the police budget the mayor says he needs.

"If they do agree to those and it's up to the unions, it's their decision, not ours; we can get by without layoffs," Mayor Bartlett said.

The mayor says he recognizes the city has contracts with the unions and has promised them certain things and wants to honor those commitments, but, he feels it's come down to these two drastic choices.

"Because, at the end of the day, if we can ensure each of our employees has a job and a paycheck and health insurance and pension contributions, that's better than layoffs, so we are strongly encouraging, pleading with the unions to support this view," Mayor Bartlett said.

If the unions vote no next Wednesday, employees will be given seven days notice before they're laid off.

The police union tells me they'd like to sit down and talk to the mayor about his numbers and would like more than a week to make this decision.

We've learned the city has offered to settle the black officers' consent decree by putting cameras in every police car for a cost of $4 million.

I asked the mayor why they would offer that now during this budget crisis and where that money would come from.

He said he didn't know and hoped the judge would give them plenty of time to implement a plan.