Mayor Reacts to Wage and Step Freeze Rejection

"I don't think the reaction is going to be markedly different with the other unions," Mayor Sebastian Giuliano said to a letter he received from the MMPA rejecting the mayor's request to wage and step freezes in the next fiscal year.

"They came forward with a good faith offer when we were preparing the budget," Giuliano said. "And it was shoved back down their throats."



"I hope the door is still open, but we're going to have to find other ways to fill the deficit hole," the mayor said. "The State is broke, and they've already come to us with a 3.5% reduction in funding, and I don't think it's over. I'm trying to find ways to cut expenses because revenue is down, and we don't have another Cucia Park to sell."

Members of the Common Council are now projecting a $5 million deficit given the budget they adopted. Some of that deficit will be filled if the Kleen Energy project comes on line, bringing $1.5 million in tax revenue, and an alternate energy turbine may provide additional tax revenue.

"I know how upset the union is," Giuliano said. "During budget preparation they said they didn't want to give up something only to have it spent on somebody's pet project."

The Common Council rejected the original concessions proposed by the unions because they felt it did not achieve parity among the various unions, and was unfair to some union employees.

"There's also a line in the budget for the Local 466 negotiaion," Giuliano said. "And we've just begun those negotiations. We can only hope that that number holds up."