TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

City's largest union heads to the polls

ADVERTISEMENT

By CHRISTIAN M. WADE cwade@tampatrib.com

The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 10, 2009

TAMPA - The city's largest union goes to the polls today to vote on a proposed one-year contract for city workers that includes no pay raises and no reduction in benefits.

Members of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1464, which represents nearly 2,000 of Tampa's blue-collar, technical and clerical employees, have been at an impasse with the city since July when Mayor Pam Iorio requested a mediator to settle the dispute.

By far, the biggest sticking point has been pay raises, which the city says it can't afford.

Faced with a $51 million deficit, Iorio imposed a wage freeze and provided no funding for pay raises in the fiscal 2010 budget. Iorio said if police, fire and general employees get raises it would cost the city more than $12.6 million, forcing layoffs and service cuts.
Union leaders eventually agreed to the raise freeze but wanted assurances that if the city's financial situation improves they would be reconsidered in the next fiscal year.

Last week, both sides announced that they had broken the impasse, tentatively agreeing to a proposed contract that includes no cost-of-living or merit raises in fiscal 2010 along with a vaguely worded provision that merit raises will be reconsidered next fiscal year.
Union leaders said they are encouraging members to ratify the proposed contract.

"I would be very surprised if it isn't approved," said the ATU's Mike Young. "Most of our members are more concerned with keeping their jobs than with pushing for raises."

City workers have been without a contract since Oct. 1.

If the contract is approved, it will go before the city council for approval. If not, both sides will need to go before a special magistrate, who will hear the case and issue a ruling.

The Iorio administration is still at an impasse with the city's police and fire unions.

Last week, a special magistrate sided mostly with the city in a dispute with its police union, ruling that Tampa can withhold pay raises through the so-called step plan for police officers this year if step increases in the next fiscal year are guaranteed. The ruling is not binding.

Leaders of the city's firefighter union are still awaiting a magistrate's ruling.

Polls will be open today from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Reagan Park Community Center at 1200 East Lake Ave. in Tampa. The results will be announced tonight.

Reporter Christian M. Wade can be reached at (813) 259-7679

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT