Tacoma police union members did the right thing Monday. They voted – in “overwhelming” numbers, according to their president – to approve concessions they hope will preserve jobs in the face of an estimated $32 million budget shortfall.
The city’s firefighters should do the same when they vote Jan. 26 and 27 on budget savings their bargaining unit says it has identified.
Although neither union disclosed what concessions it is prepared to make, it’s probably safe to say they involve a combination of things, perhaps including compensation givebacks and lower pension contributions. Interim city manager Ray Arellano will decide whether to accept the concessions.
Let’s hope that works. Although the city’s police and fire units took a proportionately lower percentage of the proposed 167 layoffs compared to the rest of the city work force, the loss of 56 police and 44 fire employees would devastate public safety.
It would mean the sacrifice of entire specialized squads, including the community liaison officers, gang units and school resources teams. Officers in these units have played key roles in cutting crime in Tacoma and establishing important community ties in some of the city’s most troubled neighborhoods.
Even if the city accepts the police and fire concessions, it’s not a sure thing that all public-safety layoffs could be avoided. The proposed 167 cuts to city staff were designed to address only about $22 million of a projected $31 million shortfall. An outside review using more recent data puts that shortfall even higher, at $32 million.
So unless city revenues sharply increase – and that’s highly unlikely with the economy only improving at a sluggish rate – more cuts probably will be needed. With public safety spending making up such a big part of the city’s budget, it’s inevitable that police and fire would have to take at least some of any additional future cutbacks.
Still, the public safety unions’ willingness to volunteer ways to help the city reduce its shortfall and save jobs is a welcome step. Tacomans can only hope this is the start of a new, more fiscally responsible way for city management to work with the city’s represented employees.
Clearly, the old way of doing business – almost automatically approving compensation increases at bargaining time – has to change.
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.