Councilman: Unions must sacrifice

North Las Vegas City Councilman William Robinson called out the city's labor unions Thursday night, saying they must agree to cost-saving concessions to decrease the number of impending layoffs.

"You're going to have to make some concessions whether you like it or not," Robinson said during the first of five town hall meetings planned to discuss the city's ongoing budget problems. "Think of your fellow employees."

The city, which has undergone five rounds of budget cuts since December 2008, has in recent weeks reached out to its police, fire and Teamsters unions for more contract concessions to help meet the additional $33.4 million the city must trim to make it through fiscal year 2011.

The three unions last year agreed to concessions that included cost-of-living deferrals. Savings from those concessions were $8.7 million.

But last week, the city announced it may have to lay off up to 273 people because of continued plummeting revenues.

"We hope and pray it's going to get better," Acting City Manager Maryann Ustick told the 200 or so attendees at Thursday's town hall at Nevada Partners Culinary Academy. "But we don't know if we're at the bottom or not yet."

Representatives from the city's Teamsters and fire unions did not return calls seeking comment on Friday.

Terrence McAllister, president of the North Las Vegas Police Officers Association, which represents almost 500 police and corrections officers, said the union has given up enough and can't afford more cuts.

"How many times can you come to (organized) labor and expect them to bear the burden of responsibility?" he said. "Everybody keeps trying to blame labor, throughout the state, for the problems."

Asking union members to give up more of their salaries and benefits equates to an unfair "tax upon labor," McAllister said.

"If that's fair it needs to be fair that every citizen throughout the state share responsibility," he said. "But they expect labor to bear the burden of the state's economic downfall."

North Las Vegas has already eliminated or frozen dozens of positions, trimmed departmental budgets, reduced overtime and offered voluntary employee buyouts and furlough days. City officials say they have run out of places to cut, and that layoffs could begin as soon as next month.

"When you lay a person off, you lay a family off, and that hurts," Robinson said.

The city's next budget town hall meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday at Silver Mesa Recreation Center, 4025 Allen Lane. Councilwoman Anita Wood will host the meeting.

Contact reporter Lynnette Curtis at lcurtis@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0285.