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Iorio: Unions' requests too high

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By CHRISTIAN M. WADE cwade@tampatrib.com

The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 29, 2009

TAMPA - Firefighters want more money for college tuition reimbursement. Police officers want to add another floating holiday and increase their annual leave and sick time.

Besides wages, there are a host of unresolved issues between city and union officials, who, for several months, have been negotiating new contracts for the city's work force.
Tampa officials said the cost of the union demands - including step and merit increases for about 2,100 employees - will be $12.6 million more than the city budgeted for payroll in 2010. That will force the city to lay off nearly 200 police, fire and other employees.

"There will be a cost to the city and it will mean more layoffs," Mayor Pam Iorio told city council members Wednesday at a briefing on the union impasse at City Hall.

Union officials who attended the meeting accused the Iorio administration of inflating the numbers and of trying to influence council members with threats of large-scale layoffs.

"Every single time, their numbers are different," said Rick Cochran, second vice president of the Tampa Police Benevolent Association. "These are totally different numbers."

Iorio declared an impasse in negotiations with the city's unions in July and turned to a special magistrate to settle the dispute. Ultimately, the unresolved contractual issues will go before council members for a vote, and Iorio has been lobbying them for support.

Last year, the firefighters union won unanimous council approval for pay raises totaling nearly 10 percent for union members who qualified. Iorio had wanted much less.

The Iorio administration rolled out figures Wednesday to illustrate the financial impact if the council approves new contracts and agrees to the union demands.

Representatives for the police union are seeking another 18.2 hours of sick-leave time for officers who have been with the department less than five years and 22.9 more hours for those employed longer. They also want another floating holiday for each officer.
Finance director Bonnie Wise said that will cost more than $2.8 million combined.

Iorio said if police officers get those benefits in a new contract, the city will be obligated to offer them to firefighters and general employees, which will further increase costs.

"What goes for the police, goes for the other two," Iorio said. "It's about equity."

Faced with a $51 million deficit, Iorio imposed a pay freeze and provided no funding for cost-of-living or merit raises in the fiscal 2010 budget, which went into effect Oct. 1.

Neither Iorio nor department heads will be getting raises in fiscal 2010, either.

Representatives of the city's police and fire unions have said they are willing to give up cost-of-living raises this fiscal year but are still pushing for the merit or step increases to be included in the contracts and argue that the city has the money to cover the raises.

The city estimates the total cost of merit raises will be nearly $4 million.

Union officials were not comforted by Iorio's pledges that the administration will consider restoring step and merit increases next year if the city's financial situation improves.

"Next year they'll tell us they can't do it," Cochran said. "It's the start of a slippery slope."

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

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