OCEANSIDE —- The Oceanside City Council declined to put three fire department positions back in the budget Wednesday, despite offers of concessions from two employee unions that would have helped pay for them.
The 3-2 vote left Greg deAvila, president of the Oceanside Firefighters Association, holding his head.
“They voted to weaken the city; that’s really what just happened,” deAvila said.
The Firefighters Association, which represents more than 100 rank-and-file employees, and the Oceanside Fire Management Association, which represents eight division and battalion chiefs, had reached tentative deals with city negotiators to eliminate uniform allowances and reduce holiday time for one year so the positions —- two fire captains and one battalion chief —- could be reinstated.
The council didn’t sign off on the agreements.
The majority —- Jack Feller, Jerry Kern and Rocky Chavez —- said the state could still take millions of dollars in Oceanside revenue to shore up its own shaky finances, and it wouldn’t be wise to rush into anything. They said the concessions would only save money for one year, whereas the city needed ongoing reductions.
“If they had taken off the expiration date, I would have approved it in a heartbeat,” Kern said afterward.
Pro-labor council members Esther Sanchez and Mayor Jim Wood cast the dissenting votes.
“What the firefighters did was dig deep into their pockets,” Sanchez said.
About 64 percent of Oceanside’s operating budget is dedicated to public safety. By eliminating the three positions, the council trimmed $531,427 from its spending plan.
The change will require some demotions in the Fire Department, but nobody will laid off, city officials said.
Brian Kammerer, Oceanside’s human resources director, cautioned before the vote that rebuffing a deal negotiated in good faith would “set a very bad precedent” and could affect other labor talks.
The fire union concessions equaled about 2 percent of members’ compensation, Kammerer said. They would have saved the city $471,427. Other cuts, such as canceling employee memberships in outside organizations, would have bridged the $60,000 gap.
Story by North County Times
You must log in to post a comment.