Oakland city workers rally against proposed layoffs to reduce budget deficit
City workers in Oakland held a rally in front of city hall Tuesday after about 100 pink slips were sent out to employees who are now fighting to keep their jobs.
The city is facing a budget shortfall of almost $130 million. The cuts would mostly impact non-sworn staff members of the police department and public works employees.
Word of the layoffs first surfaced late in January. The positions are slated to be eliminated by the end of February, with the city's Public Works Department taking the biggest hit.
Jennifer Foster is on the staff at the Oakland Police Department and is one of the people who got a layoff notice. She had a warning about what will happen if the city gets rid of positions like hers.
"We provide important services. Without them, our community will be less safe workers and the community cannot be held accountable for the failure to responsibly manage revenue collection and the budget correctly," Foster said. "We must protect our workers and city services."
Members of SEIU Local 1021, IFPTE Local 21, IBEW Local 1245 and IAFF Local 55 were present at the rally and claimed the layoffs are illegal because managers failed to follow procedures established by the city's charter and union contracts when sending out notices.
"Together we represent the librarians, the street cleaners, the first responders and so many more who show up every single day to serve this community," said Julian Ware, vice president of IFPTE local 21. "But today, we're here because the city administration is breaking the law and slashing the services that our neighbors rely on."
On Monday, union officials said they filed charges with the state Public Employment Relations Board over the layoffs.
Union leaders are vowing to fight the job cuts.
"The fact that the city administration failed to properly manage the budget should not fall on the backs of city employees," SEIU Local 1021 President Antoinette Blue told CBS News Bay Area in an interview last month.
Oakland has already temporarily closed two fire stations in the Oakland Hills to deal with the budget deficit, which raised the concerns of residents in the wake of the destructive Southern California fires.
