SJFD: San Jose Union Works to Save Laid-Off Firefighters

Officials from Local 230 claim their new proposal will save the city at least $5.3M.

BY DANA HULL  -San Jose Mercury News - Article linkSan Jose, Calif. -

Eager to save the jobs of 49 firefighters who were just laid off, San Jose Fire Fighters Local 230 on Sunday unveiled a new proposal that union officials claim will save the city at least $5.3 million.
But city officials were quick to dismiss the union's latest proposal, saying that it amounted to too little, too late. They also questioned why union officials were making proposals at a news conference, instead of at the bargaining table.
The union's latest proposed package of concessions includes some items that have previously been introduced, such as a 5.25 percent take-home pay reduction and increased health-care co-pays for office visits and prescription drugs. But fire officials say they are now
willing to adopt a two-tier retirement system for new hires, which could include reducing benefits by 10 percent, changing the vesting time, increasing employee contributions and hiking the retirement age. Some veteran firefighters can now retire at 90 percent of their pay.
Union officials say the new fire chief, William McDonald, who starts today, also has ideas for alternate deployment models and ways of staffing firehouses that could save the department more money in overtime costs.
"We're stepping up once again and making another proposal," union President Randy Sekany said at a rare Sunday morning news conference, flanked by dozens of firefighters in blue T-shirts. "If implemented, this could save the city money and keep all our firefighters on the job."
Sekany said he sent the union's latest proposal to the city manager and the city's chief negotiator but had not heard back from anyone yet.
Alex Gurza, employee relations manager for the city of San Jose, told the Mercury News early Sunday afternoon that there wasn't much new in the proposal.
City officials had asked all employee unions for a 10 percent reduction in wages and benefits, so the reduction that firefighters have proposed falls way short of that, Gurza said.
"Now that the layoffs have happened, the question now is can they offer enough for us to hire the firefighters back," Gurza said. "My quick review is unfortunately no. The city is still looking for more in terms of wages and benefits."
Gurza also said that labor proposals are usually made at the bargaining table, not via the media.
City Councilman Pierluigi Oliverio agreed, saying that the firefighters are still coming up short because even the reduced retirement benefits would be too high.
"The only reason we're having these layoffs is because of the escalating costs of the pensions," Oliverio said.
San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed has taken a hard line against the city's 11 labor unions, noting that employee costs have risen far faster than city revenues.
Forty-nine members of the Fire Department have turned in their equipment and badges over the past few days because the union initially did not agree to the 10 percent cut city officials have said is required to meet San Jose's monstrous budget gap.
The San Jose Fire Department has been forced to mothball one fire station, three engines and one truck and to eliminate the personnel attached to each.
Fire leaders chose to close Station No. 33 on Communications Hill because it typically receives far fewer calls for service than other stations in the city.
But fire Capt. Rick Wardall said Sunday that Station No. 33 has handled 275 calls within the last five months.
"In the last month, we've had two grass fires, a structure fire and a man suffering from a heart attack," Wardall said. "If our paramedics had not been there to assist him, the man would have been transported to the morgue."
Wardall said it was unconscionable that San Jose was closing fire stations but appears to be willing to spend millions to try to lure the Oakland A's to build a new ballpark downtown.
Union officials say the layoff of the 49 firefighters will increase response times and make the city less safe.
Chris Cobillas, 28, is one of the firefighters hoping he'll get his job back.
Cobillas grew up in East San Jose and had been with the department for six months.
"I want to work in the city that I have a vested interest in," Cobillas said. "The concessions and the pay cut will hurt, but I want a job and a career. This is what I want to do."

Original source: McClatchy-Tribune News Service
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