Decision on layoffs delayed

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DeKALB – After a 45-minute closed session to discuss personnel and collective bargaining, the DeKalb City Council emerged with a message that it's not too late.

Aldermen voted 6-0 at a special meeting Monday evening to postpone a decision to lay off three employees of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 813, which includes 71 workers in public works, telecommunications, finance and other departments. Fourth Ward Alderman Brendon Gallagher was absent from the meeting.

"We went into very detailed discussion back there and feel very comfortable that we might be able to continue negotiations with AFSCME tomorrow," Mayor Kris Povlsen said when the council returned from closed session. "I think we are so very, very close that I think we can come to some resolution and not lay off any AFSCME employees."

About 60 people attended the special meeting, mostly a mixture of AFSCME employees and firefighters, who erupted into cheers after Povlsen's announcement.

After the meeting, AFSCME Local President Mike Taylor said that he hopes to meet with city officials later this week and that any agreement would be taken to members for approval.

Last week, AFSCME members voted to reject cost reductions and uphold their contract because the city could not guarantee that there would be no layoffs for the rest of the contract, which expires Dec. 31, 2010.

Taylor said that a no-layoff guarantee is still a priority for the employee group; Povlsen did not comment when asked if that guarantee would be up for discussion.

Negotiations are also close with the firefighters' union, Povlsen said, despite a resolution that passed unanimously last Monday to lay off three firefighters because the local International Association of Fire Fighters did not agree to freeze wages.

Povlsen said that the council is looking closely at calculations of cost-savings IAFF provided in their offer. IAFF's proposal includes freezing wages for the first 11 months of Fiscal Year 2010, which begins Wednesday. The 12th month would see a 4-percent raise, followed by another 4-percent raise six months later.

Unions have been under pressure from the city to trim costs in order to save jobs. Last week, the city approved a budget that is dependent on either the cost reductions or layoffs, or a combination of both.

Four employee groups – management, police, fire and AFSCME – had been asked to forgo raises for the 2010 fiscal year in order to have a balanced budget, which would save about $480,000, city officials have said.

Management employees have agreed to the wage freeze, and the police union has a tentative contract in place; the last contract expired in 2008.