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Union Prez Cavaliere.
In an effort to avoid an unprecedented 16 layoffs, some rank-and-file cops floated a proposal: Everyone work one day unpaid between now and June. It didn’t fly.
The idea arose last week as union officials disclosed to the membership that the city administration is planning to lay off 16 cops by the end of the month. That number is an estimate; factors such as the details of Gov. Dannel Malloy’s proposed state budget (to be unveiled Wednesday) will determine the exact number.
Officer Elliot Rosa advanced the idea at 4 p.m. line-up at the police station Saturday. It drew support from fellow members, some of whom planned to raise the proposal at police union Local 530’s Wednesday evening membership meeting.
However, when union officials brought the idea to Mayor John DeStefano Wednesday afternoon, he put the kibosh on the idea.
Union brass floated the unpaid-day proposal along with others — such as golden-handshake early retirements — at the two-hour meeting between the mayor and the union executive board, which union President Lou Cavaliere said took place at an “undisclosed location” (but not Lorenzo’s, the site of a previous such confab).
“It’s a moot issue,” Cavaliere said afterwards about proposed short-term fixes. “Anything you can ever think of, we have thrown out to the mayor. We’ve done everything to stop our people from getting laid off. The bottom line right now today is there is nothing we can offer to the city to avert layoffs. He has no choice. If we say, ‘We’ll give you three furlough days for each person,’ he says that’s not going to close the budget right now.
“He sounds like he’s in a bind. He threw figures out there — the issue’s real, what’s going on in the city of New Haven.”
The city faces an estimated $5.5 million budget gap for the fiscal year that ends June 30. The mayor announced last week that he’ll be instituting a wave of layoffs throughout the government to close part of that gap. Next year’s estimated gap tops $30 million.
For at least four decades or more, cops have been off-limits when it has come to city layoffs. The magnitude of the city’s budget crisis has put all sorts of approaches on the table, such as selling parking garages.
Mayoral spokesman Adam Joseph said the administration would have no comment about today’s discussion with union brass. Asked about concerns that layoffs will jeopardize public safety, Joseph called it “premature” to discuss the issue, since final decisions haven’t been made yet.
“When the decision has been made we will comment at that time,” Joseph said.
Cavaliere said the mayor has agreed to meet with union leaders again some time in the next two weeks for an “off-the-record” discussion about how to prevent further layoffs or givebacks in the next fiscal year and in the new police contract. The current contract expires June 30.
“You’re better off [when it’s] off the record,” Cavaliere said. “When you meet on the record, everything you discuss goes to arbitration. Off the record, you try to stop layoffs, get a contract, without having it repeated in arbitration that you said this on this date.”
Cavaliere praised DeStefano for “being honest with us.” But he challenged “taxpayers and aldermen” who are demanding givebacks from cops or failing to support spending more on police. He said he’s concerned about public safety and about officer safety.
“When somebody’s kicking in somebody’s back door and they don’t get a cop for two or three hours, they might say, ‘Maybe we should pay a little more,’” Cavaliere said. “I’m not being a mercenary. It’s a safety issue. Cops get killed today. I don’t know how he’s going to run a department when it’s short-staffed now.”
Lou, you're usually a pretty sharp guy. I can't believe you say the Mayor in a tough spot, without saying it's of his own doing. The city is not encumbered by as many entitlements as is the Federal government. There are some…debt service, pensions, education, but basically the mayor spends the rest of the city money the way he wants to. His pet projects (for instance, schools), get the discretionary funds. If he wasn't spending money like he was printing it, we wouldn't be in this fix. Right now, he's using PD as a pawn in his battle…you guys didn't help much with the no confidence vote on the chief. The public is up in arms about what they feel is wasted tax money, and they think city employees get too many of their tax dollars…so the mayor is hopping on their bandwagon to save his own butt.