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Say no to raises

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 13, 2009

City unions need to face facts. Tampa taxpayers can no longer afford the generous raises to which the unions have become accustomed.

During this fiscal crisis, everyone must make sacrifices. And compared to the painful cutbacks being adopted in the private sector, simply forgoing a raise is not much of a sacrifice.

Yet an impasse has been declared in negotiations between the unions and the city, mainly because the unions refuse to accept Mayor Pam Iorio's insistence that the budget contain no pay increases.

A magistrate will review the dispute and make recommendations, but the ultimate call will be made by the city council, probably in November.

We suspect the council, which has sided with the police and firefighter unions in recent contract disputes, understands that the political dynamics have changed.

When high property values were filling the city's coffers with tax revenues, no one objected to Tampa offering handsome pay packages, especially to its public safety workers. The jobs are dangerous, and Tampa police officers can point to an impressive crime rate reduction.

But those relentlessly generous raises did more than reward the workers for a job well done. They created an enormous drain on tax revenues and unrealistic union expectations.

Iorio in recent years has urged restraint, only to be rebuffed by the council. This time, the council must join the effort.

This year the city faced a $51 million budget deficit. The cost-of-living and merit increases that traditionally go to the unions would cost the city more than $12 million.

There is no way to offer raises in the coming year without eliminating more jobs and services. The city has cut more than 500 positions in the last few years, yet salary costs have still increased because of the never-ending raises.

Because the current contract expired during the impasse, existing terms, which allow merit raises, remain in effect. Those raises range from 1 to 4.2 percent and will be given to workers whose performance review dates occur before the contract dispute is resolved.

But Iorio says if the council approves a no-raise budget, the raises would have to be repaid.

This should not be an issue because it would affect only a handful of workers.

Union members can't be blamed for trying to get the best deal possible. And it's understandable that the police union, before agreeing to any pay freeze, would want a commitment that the merit raises would be restored, though such a commitment should be tied to the city's financial health.

Regardless of what the magistrate says, during this fiscal crisis, with private businesses sputtering and public revenues languishing, it would be outrageous for the council to consider boosting workers' pay. Members must learn to say no.

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