It’s an encouraging sign that four city unions agreed to forgo a
cost of living increase in the coming year to help the city of
Hollister as it struggles with its budget.
It’s an encouraging sign that four city unions agreed to forgo a cost of living increase in the coming year to help the city of Hollister as it struggles with its budget.
Giving up the .5 percent increase means a $30,000 savings for the city. That, combined with the willingness of Hollister’s police and firefighters to give back $26,000 in compensation time accrued while working on the National Day of Mourning for former President Ronald Reagan, shows that the unions are willing to work with city brass to help the budget.
“We want to be part of the solution, not part of the problem,” Service Employees International Union President Luis Aguilar said.
For that, we give them credit. We hope to see a lot more cooperation in the coming weeks.
But the combined $56,000 unions have given up so far is a drop in the bucket when it comes to financial problems Hollister is facing. Mayor Tony Bruscia says the city could have a $16 million shortfall in the coming four or five years. That’s a huge number – one that unions have an obligation to help reduce.
The council recently voted to save 12 employees listed on a potential money-saving layoff list. In doing so, the council accepted a $534,000 budget burden.
The council members went out on a limb for those employees. They hoped to continue negotiating with unions to cut costs, and a local union head said the employees want to help the city out of its budget problems.
Interim City Manager Clint Quilter – who convinced the council to save the jobs and work on concessions – needs to ensure that the unions meet that obligation.
Quilter is negotiating with the unions on concessions. But there needs to be some serious cash plunked down to make a difference that will help the city stay afloat. So far, police and fire unions have shown little, if any, interest in renegotiating their retirement benefits. They worry that reduced benefits will scare off qualified workers and applicants.
If that avenue stays closed, union leaders and Quilter must be creative in finding other concessions. We encourage everyone to get on with it.
Everyone needs and to keep the big picture in mind. This is not a turf war. This is about everyone pitching in to save money for the entire city so it can continue to provide services to the people who pay the bills – the residents.
It’s also an investment in the future for employees. If the city struggles to balance it’s budget, layoffs could very well be necessary next year.
The city council should make it clear that if more concessions aren’t forthcoming, layoffs will be revisited sooner than later. In fact, it would be a good idea to set a deadline that coincides with the final adoption of this year’s city budget to get those concessions. The only thing you regret about making a tough decision is not having made it sooner – that applies to cities as well.
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