Diaz Has His Budget Ducks in a Row
All three unions have signed off on deep cuts to help balance the budget
By TODD WRIGHT
Updated 5:34 PM EST, Tue, Sep 29, 2009
With only a few hours before the city commission has to vote on a budget to keep Miami afloat, Mayor Manny Diaz is somewhere rubbing his hands tightly while a rye smile creeps over his face like Mr. Burns.
"Exxxxxcellent!"
Diaz, who has been threatened by just about every public employee in the city, has somehow managed to get each of the unions to agree to deep concessions to help the city out of its financial hole. On Tuesday, the firefighters and general employee unions agreed to cuts in pay, vacation time and an early retirement option to avoid layoffs.
The police union approved their deal yesterday.
The concessions will go a long way in balancing Diaz's proposed $511.4 million budget, which is currently facing a $118 million shortfall. Now, if the commission could only get their coffee expenses in order, the city might be in good shape.
The three last-minute deals didn't seem possible after all the mud throwing by union powers at Diaz, who, to his credit, never wavered from his "concessions or layoffs" stance.
Diaz is still proposing layoffs, across the board salary cuts for non-union employees and cuts in services that won't make him the most popular man in Springfield, er, Miami, but it will keep the city from being on the auction block.
The commission is expected to vote on the budget tonight at 5 p.m.
First Published: Sep 29, 2009 2:38 PM EST
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