Tulsa Mayor: Layoffs Imminent Unless Salary Cuts Agreement Is Reached

By Emory Bryan, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- Mayor Dewey Bartlett has repeated the warning that layoffs are imminent for city of Tulsa employees, unless an agreement is reached for salary cuts.

In a letter to AFSCME Local 1180, 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

The AFSCME union is polling its membership Wednesday to see whether they would prefer a 5.178% pay reduction, or layoffs. The vote is merely an opinion poll.

See the AFSCME union ballot

The administration figures show 65 employees would be laid off. The results are not binding on the city.

"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, no matter what the opinion is here today, either the layoff or the pay cut," said Bill Roland, AFSCME Union President.

Roland believes his members will vote for the layoff, because they're 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.

At city hall, the Firefighters union continues negotiations on a compromise to lessen the salary cuts and still avoid layoffs.

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

The police union started talks on a compromise Wednesday morning.

"We discussed it for a good hour and a half. We've now given their proposal to the finance department to work their numbers and the meeting was left that we would get back with them with questions or maybe a counter to their proposal. In any event, the conversation and discussion will go on, on a daily basis if need be," said Terry Simonson, Mayor's Chief of Staff.

1/19/2010  Related Story: Tulsa Police Union To Offer Mayor A Budget Counter Proposal

The regular employees union doesn't have that kind of sway, but the mayor's chief of staff says Mayor Bartlett is inclined to honor their opinion.

"We're willing to work, we're willing to sit down, we want to be part of this city," said Roland.

Mayor Bartlett said the city's Human Resources staff would meet with department heads Thursday to go over the procedures for layoffs, and affected employees could get the notification Friday. The administration is required to give employees seven days notice of a layoff before removing them from the payroll.

Read Mayor Dewey Bartlett's FY10 - Budget Reductions Analysis