Two Public Employee Unions Call City's Contract Offers Unfair

Two Rohnert Park public employee unions with a combined 54 city staffers — the Service Employees International Union local and the Rohnert Park Employees Association — have rejected a new contract offer from the city, the Press Democrat is reporting today.

A representative from the public works department's union, the SEIU, who voted 25-2 against the proposed contract, said the department has already been reduced by 42 percent over the last three years, the article stated. 

The city is asking those employees take a combined 17 percent cut, made up of a 10 percent pay cut and 7 percent of benefits, according to the article. 

The RPEA, a union made up of city office workers, voted 18-2 against the city's offer, the article stated.  

Angie Smith, president of the RPEA, told the Press that '“RPEA is willing to take the cut in order to help the city,” she said, “but it is unfair to be asked to take significant pay cuts when the management and confidential unit is not being asked to take the same.”'

Smith said the union was poised to accept a 6.25 reduction in pay, in addition to other concessions, including paying towards retiree benefits.

What do you think? Considering the city's $2.1 million annual operating budget deficit, should public employee unions make concessions to help fill the budget gap?

City Manager Gabe Gonzalez said last week that the "were marked by a common understanding that the city faces unprecedented fiscal challenges that can only be addressed by everyone working together to achieve real savings.”  

Should the city pull back or should the unions give up more?