Tulsa Firefighters And City Workers Prepare For Layoffs

By Chris Wright, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- 147 Tulsa firefighters have been asked to report to a meeting Friday where it is believed they will receive layoff notices.

Stan May, union president, told The News On 6 he believes the firefighters will be given a seven-day notice at a meeting Friday.

The Firefighters Union Local and Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett have spent the last two days trying to work on a budget to reduce or eliminate layoffs.

1/19/2010  Related Story: City, Firefighters Continue Talks On Budget Cuts

Members of the City Worker's Union, AFSCME, held an opinion poll and the non-binding results showed the membership was in favor of layoffs instead of pay cuts.

AFSCME is the union that represents Tulsa city workers not affiliated with police and fire departments.

729 AFSCME members participated in the poll and 533 said 'yes' to layoffs, which is about 73%.

See the AFSCME union ballot

In a letter to AFSCME Local 1180, Mayor Dewey Bartlett said while the city would welcome a written counter-proposal to the salary cuts, the city intended to stick with the original deadline of Wednesday for the proposal or otherwise the city would proceed with layoffs for those employees.

Read Mayor Dewey Bartlett's letter to AFSCME Local 1180

"I think there's other things that can be done. It's still strictly up to the mayor and his staff as to what they will do," said Bill Roland, AFSCME Union President.

Roland believes members wanted layoffs because they are already generally on the bottom of the city's pay scale, after taking cuts year after year.

"It was real hard to take the 4.7% pay reduction when Mr. Lafortune had to implement that, knowing that the police department got a 6% raise," said Roland.

City workers may receive notice as early as Friday if they are one of the workers to be laid off. 

On the AFSCME local 1180 web site, Tami Bunch wrote: 

The non-sworn employees of the City of Tulsa have spoken. The resounding decision was to take the lay offs. The break down was 73% for lay offs and 27% for pay reduction. The comments of the majority of opinions cast today were that, "I have already been thru 3 or 4 cuts. I can't take another one."

None of the people who voted today want anyone to get laid off, but a decision had to be made and we all made the decision we had to make for ourselves and our family, but the decision was made with heavy hearts.

The opinion results have been reported to Mayor's staff. The ball is in his court now.

Police officers and firefighters have their own unions and the AFSCME opinion poll has no effect on either.