Police Jobs May be Saved After Protest
Proposed deal fills only a fraction of budget hole
Carlos Miller
A Miami police officer protests against the Miami Mayor Manny Diaz before Thursday's budget meeting.
A plan to reduce 177 sworn officers from the Miami Police Department may be thwarted after hordes of police officers showed up to city hall to protest the proposed budget cuts.
But police will have to give up cashing in on unused vacation day and will defer 3 percent pay raises due in October for another six months, according to The Miami Herald.
The City of Miami and the police union came to the tentative agreement on Saturday, two days after more than a hundred officers swarmed city hall to protest.
But the proposal only reduces the $118 million budget hole by $8 million, so there is no telling where else the city will go to further slash costs. The proposed budget is $511.4.
Under the deal struck Saturday, cuts include:
• No paying unused vacation, saving $3.1 million.
• No new police vehicles, saving $1.7 million.
• Eliminating extra pay on three holidays, saving $1.2 million.
• Defering 3 percent raises for six months, saving $1.29 million.
• No new uniforms, saving $500,000.
• No free physical exams, saving $539,000.
The deal will not become official and negotiations continue. And even if it does become official, it will be permanent. New negotiations will begin next year after the current contract expires.
Posted Sunday, Sep 27, 2009 - 7:08 PM EST
