Tulsa Mayor Says Tentative Agreements Reached With Police & Fire Unions

NewsOn6.com

TULSA, OK -- Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett held a media briefing Monday afternoon where he announced the city has reached a tentative agreement with the police and fire unions, which would rescind layoff notices issued last week by the city.

Bartlett says the agreements must now be approved by the police and fire union's memberships. 

In both cases, the agreements call for 5.2%  reduction in salaries. 

Concerning the police agreement, Bartlett says if approved by the FOP membership, three police officers laid off late last year will also be rehired.

In addition, a $2.5 million grant from the Department of Justice will go to keep officers on the streets.

TPD originally planned on dispensing that money over an 18-month stretch, using some of it for programs like meth lab investigations and criminal analysis and using most of it for salaries.

The money will be gone by Christmas.

The new plan also involves a reorganization of the department. Instead of four 10-hour shifts, officers will soon work five eight-hour shifts every week. 

Bartlett says this proposal is the last, best offer.

"Our proposals are meeting the goal that we stated initially when all this discussion began, and that being no layoffs," said Mayor Dewey Bartlett.

Interim Police Chief Chuck Jordan presented the plan to the police union. They'll bring it up for discussion at their meeting Tuesday night. The union will have to start voting on the plan by Friday night to avoid more than 150 layoffs. 

The police union told The News On 6 that they doubt the new proposal will be approved by the union members. A spokesperson said they believe the plan is worse than other recent proposals and takes too much away from officers who would keep their jobs.

Bartlett says the agreements do not favor either the police or fire unions over one another.  He says the agreements for each union would be 18 months which takes in the current fiscal year and the next fiscal year. 

1/25/2010  Related Story: Tulsa's Interim Police Chief Starts First Day On The Job

1/24/2010  Related Story: Tulsa Police Officers Prepare for Potential Layoffs This Week

Bartlett says the Tulsa Fire Department will continue with its reorganization plan begun last year and the Police Department will begin the process of a reorganization plan.

Friday morning, 147 firefighters and their families met at the fire training academy to get their layoff notices, but by Friday afternoon it was a different story. Those firefighters may now get to keep their jobs if the deal with the mayor is approved by the union local.

The fire union will meet with firefighters Tuesday through Thursday and then begin voting on the agreement Friday.

1/22/2010  Related Story: Firefighter's Union has Three Days To Review, Decide On New Agreement