263 police officers, 150 firefighters and 22-25 EMS workers laid off in Cleveland

[tyler101]

Campbell announces $61 million in cuts, 100s of layoffs
From WKYC-TV 3 reports
November 24, 2003


In a 45-minute address at City Council this afternoon, Mayor Jane Campbell announced a $61 million cut in the city's budget, including the layoff of 263 police officers.

The City of Cleveland will do everything in its power to "live within its means" in 2004. Campbell went on to say that next year's budget will "maintain city services."

Those services will be maintained, she contends, with layoffs of over 660 police, fire and EMS workers.

Mayor Campbell says police dispatch, SWAT and bomb squad officers will remain the same, while officers dedicated to 911 response will increase. The new focus on 911 calls should increase the percentage of officers responding to calls from 44 to 55. EMS will maintain 18 on-duty vehicles during the day, and 16 at night.

There will be a drastic decrease in traffic controllers.

The city expects revenues of $464 million next year. Without cuts, planned budget increases would put the final amount spent at $525 million -- enough, Campbell says, to put the city into fiscal emergency and turn control of the city over to the state.

Breakdown of layoffs

According to Mayor Campbell, there will be a total of 663 layoffs, the majority of them among the safety forces: 263 police officers, 150 firefighters and 22-25 EMS workers. As far as city services, trash removal, snow plowing, street sweeping and street repair will be maintained.

The city's 20 recreation centers will continue to be open, though only Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. until 8 p.m. Outdoor pools will have their season reduced to July 4th through October 15th.

City, unions to negotiate


Campbell has informed the various unions involved that the number of layoffs can be reduced if city workers will agree to some concessions.

Reportedly, EMS workers have agreed to certain concessions. The firefighters' union isn't pleased with recent talks involving a 4% pay cut.

Campbell calls the financial crisis the biggest Cleveland has faced since the city went into default in the 70s. Even after the cuts, the number of police officers per capita in the city is the highest in the state.

Tonight's council meeting at City Hall is expected to be packed with city workers upset about losing their jobs.

But council doesn't have to approve Campbell's proposal for her to enact it.



Copyright 2003 cleveland.com. All Rights Reserved.

[DaSharkie]

I think this mayor's career is over as a politician.

Unfortunately, with cuts like this crime will skyrocket, Arson wil increase, and people will die in large numbers.

I don't see any equal distribution across the boards here. This is 66% of the layoffs from public safety costs.

How wonderful.

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

Let me take a guess...the Mayor is a Democrat?

[RspctFrmCalgary]

The City of Cleveland will do everything in its power to "live within its means" in 2004.

LIVE???? Die more like it. HOLY S**T!!!!

That's an awful lot of people, wonder what percentage of their overall personnel that works out to be?

[E74A]

The mayor seems to be doing her best to return Cleveland to the "Mistake on the Lake" days.

*sigh*

My sympathies to all those who were laid off.

[tyler101]

Cleveland can reduce the number of police and firefighters who lose their jobs if their unions agree to major concessions, Mayor Jane Campbell said yesterday.

"Beginning today, we are in conversations with each of our unions," Campbell said at a City Hall news conference. "Now we can say, These are the consequences, these are the people that will be laid off.' It's our hope these numbers go down."

Campbell plans to cut more than 700 city jobs to help offset a $61 million deficit in next year's budget. The deepest cuts would be in the police and fire departments, which would lose 263 and 150 jobs, respectively. That would leave about 1,560 police officers and 850 firefighters in the city.

Safety workers' union leaders have said for weeks that Campbell was painting an overly bleak picture to win concessions. Yesterday, she laid out some concessions she hopes to gain.

The city would save $2 million and 14 police positions if the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association agrees to give up a clothing allowance for one year, Campbell said.

Officers are now entitled to about $1,100 a year to buy uniforms.

The city also could save 70 firefighter jobs if the union agrees to several concessions, including pay cuts and more flexible scheduling rules. The city's plan to cut eight engine companies can be averted if the union agrees to staff each engine, rescue squad and hook-and-ladder truck with three firefighters, instead of four.

The safety workers' contracts expire on March 31.

National safety standards recommend four firefighters. But Campbell pointed out that several suburbs staff their trucks with three firefighters.

Bob Fisher, president of the firefighters union, said, "We're in for hard sessions and difficult times."

Bob Beck, president of the police union, also was skeptical.

"If it saves every job, I'm interested," Beck said, "If it doesn't, why should we take a step back?"

Under Campbell's plan, dispatchers for Emergency Medical Service and fire will be merged. In addition, 21 EMS paramedics will be let go.

The Parks and Recreation and Public Service departments each will lose 60 jobs. The city will cut 60 part-time jobs and not rehire 310 seasonal employees.

Job cuts will be based on seniority, so those hired most recently will be the first to go. The workers will be eligible for 26 weeks of unemployment compensation and two months of health-care benefits. The job cuts go into effect at the end of December.

"To the people being laid off, I wish I had something I could say," Campbell said. "It's harsh news."

It was harsh news to firefighters, police, EMS and other city workers who packed council's chambers last night. About half of those who came early for the council meeting waited more than three hours for the Finance Committee meeting to conclude so the regular council meeting could begin. Council passed a transfer ordinance, which will allow the city to move money from various departments' budgets into public safety.

Taking a break from the Finance Committee meeting at one point, Council President Frank Jackson said council did not have the power at this time to challenge the mayor's decisions.

"We'll have our shot at this in late January. When the mayor's estimate [of the budget] comes here, it will be in our court," said Jackson.

During her news conference earlier in the day, the mayor vowed that safety and basic services in Cleveland will not be dramatically affected by the cuts.

The Police Department will be restructured, with the mounted unit and 32 desk jobs eliminated. With the changes, 55 percent of all officers will be responding to 9-1-1 calls, compared with 44 percent previously, Campbell said. The cuts will have little impact on the homicide division, sex-crimes unit, SWAT team and bomb squad.

Also, all 27 city fire stations will remain open with at least one fire truck, though many will have their manpower cut in half.

As for city services, trash pickup and snowplowing will remain at present levels, albeit with fewer employees doing more work, according to Campbell, and street resurfacing and chuckhole patching will be maintained.

"I honestly believe the plan we've put forward will allow us to provide basic city services, protect citizens and live within our means," Campbell said.

Still, many residents are worried that response times will climb for serious crimes and that quality-of-life complaints, such as loud radios, will get no response from police.

"I've been talking with people in the community, and they're very displeased with these layoffs," said Ron Boehnlein, a Slavic Village resident who has worked with the 4th District Police Community Relations Board for several years. "That puts fear into people."

The mayor also is reviewing every city-owned car and cell phone assigned to workers. She said she would not consider an income-tax increase or efforts to reduce City Council.

[tyler101]

I have an idea... Lets cut manpower in half to risk EVERYBODIES lives!!!

[nmfire]

I bet if the mayor and other extravagantly overpaid city managers cut their own pay, it would make up for some of it. This is insane.

[ff7134]

My Brothers in the North are in for a bad one that is for sure. Not to offend any females but it seems like female mayors, like to cut public safety. The City next to me just called back some of their layed off FF and PD only because what they were paying out in overtime was the same as paying for the layed off people.

When will the politicians learn that cutting safety forces is like lighting a short fuzed stick of TNT....its eventually going to blow up in your face.

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

Just for kicks...

How many "Administrative Assistants" and similar job titles lost their jobs? How many appointed hacks lost their jobs? How many cuts in the Mayor's office? How many cuts in the Welfare Office.

[fmfdoc]

Have to lay off public safety workers to help pay for the Mayors and her buddies new offices and cars, cant drive a 2003 now that the 04's are out. Also lets layoff people to increase the amt of money available for the low live that live off the working man. I bet none of the scheduled firehouses to be closed are within the mayors house 1st response area.

[ff7134]

No actually she got in trouble for sending a letter to the Director of Airport Security saying that she didn't want planes flying over her house due to she was affraid she might be a target .
And no none of her personal friends got laid off.

[SQUAD5]

Here's a new concept that we the citizens of this country should look into. HOLD THESE OFFICALS ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS!!!!!It's the same everywhere you go, the schools are broke because the person in-charge doesn't have a clue because of their masters degree is in basket weaving not education and finances, just like the mayors and politicians WHO MOST ARE JUST CROOKS ANYWAY don't care about anyone but themselves and their political friends who will just line their pockets and except a few citizens and or firefighters will get injured or maybe lose their life. It's time we all stand together and ask WHERE'S THE MONEY???Public saftey should be the last thing that ever gets cut out of the budget and should be the first thing that gets more money for pay,bennefits,personel,and equipment to do our job. Everytime we hear this it's always we have to take a pay cut or reduce manpower by layoffs or closing stations or putting equipment O.O.S. for the day, but how come we never hear that the mayor or councilman are taking a pay cut or forgoing their raises. Excuse me I'm just venting because this job is hard enough for us and we always have to beg and plead for every little thing. STAY SAFE AND HAPPY TURKEY DAY.

[tyler101]

You'll be happy to know that Mayor Cambell's husband turned in the luxary SUV that he has been driving thanks to city!

[E74A]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by tyler101

The city would save $2 million and 14 police positions if the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association agrees to give up a clothing allowance for one year, Campbell said.

Officers are now entitled to about $1,100 a year to buy uniforms.

The city also could save 70 firefighter jobs if the union agrees to several concessions, including pay cuts and more flexible scheduling rules. The city's plan to cut eight engine companies can be averted if the union agrees to staff each engine, rescue squad and hook-and-ladder truck with three firefighters, instead of four.


This frustrates me because I see it here too. The cops are asked to give up their clothing allowance for one year, but the firefighters are asked to make do with substandard staffing, take a pay cut, and lose their overtime pay (that's what "more flexible scheduling" means.)


The Parks and Recreation and Public Service departments each will lose 60 jobs. The city will cut 60 part-time jobs and not rehire 310 seasonal employees.


*sigh* So grass cutters and playground monitors are more important than firefighters lives.

When politicians get ready to shove a tax down their constituents' throats, whether it's a school board member or a mayor, they make things as hard and inconvenient as possible, so when they put their tax levy on the ballot people are only too happy to vote for it, so things can be restored to the way they were. If Campbell isn't assassinated or thrown out of office, there'll be a whopper of a tax in the ballot next year.

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

It always amazed me that a person would raise sometimes millions of dollars to get elected to a job that pays a fraction of that cost. The "fringe benefits" must outweight the expense. Fringe benefits like hiring all your old cronies, a SUV for your husband, etc.

And don't be stupid talking about assassination.

[ff7134]

George,

I'll see if I can dig up the article from that incident..its funny as heck.

[ThNozzleman]

http://www.newsnet5.com/news/2661564/detail.html
Here's a few more stories on the situation.

[ThNozzleman]

From Cleveland's website:
http://www.city.cleveland.oh.us/mayo...1_24_2003.html