Oct 21, 2009 5:56 pm US/Central
Alderman Suggests Pay Cuts For Cops, Firefighters
Idea Carries Big Political Risk, As Police Department Is Already Below Full Strength
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Facing a city budget deficit of about $550 million, Ald. Ed Smith (28th) suggested on Wednesday that police officers and firefighters should take pay cuts to help the city save money.
CBS
As Chicago aldermen prepare to pore over Mayor Richard M. Daley's $6.1 billion budget and the spending cuts and financial maneuvering needed to balance the budget, one alderman is suggesting a politically risky idea: pay cuts for police officers and firefighters.
The mayor's budget plan for 2010 relies on eliminating 220 vacant jobs, requiring 24 furlough days for non-union workers and spending $350 million from reserve funds established from the lease of city parking meters.
For years, rank and file police officers and firefighters have been exempt when pay cuts and furlough days hit other city workers and their families. Non-union city workers will lose nine percent of their wages next year.
But Ald. Ed Smith (28th) pointed out that public safety expenses take up nearly two-thirds of the city budget. Smith knows it's politically dangerous, but he said he's ready to take on the most sacred of City Hall's sacred cows.
"I want to make this clear. We have stayed away from police and fire all of these years. But we are in a position now where, I believe, that everybody should put in some skin in this game. We have a responsibility to do that," Smith said.
He said that means police officers and firefighters should have to take pay cuts to help deal with the budget. "I mean, they are employees of the city of Chicago and we have to make sure that the city functions."
But Smith's suggestion has no realistic chance of being approved by the City Council.
The Chicago Police Department is already down nearly 500 officers from what it considers "full strength" and that shortage could expand to 800 by the end of the year because of budget constraints and an agreement with the city that would allow some officers to retire early.
The Fraternal Order of Police has said that the lack of manpower was slowing responses to calls, forcing officers to work harder and, at times, put themselves in more dangerous situations. The union said that's dangerous not only for his members, but for everyone who depends on them to keep the city safe, and that is why the city needs to address the police shortage as a safety issue.
It's a concern shared among Alderman Smith's colleagues.
Ald. Leslie Hairston (5th) said budget cuts should not come from public safety areas. "With the shortage of the police that we have now, I don't think having them take furlough days is going to do anything for crime in the city," Hairston said.
That is a widespread view among Chicago aldermen and outside City Hall. It's precisely because so many Chicagoans are worried about crime and violence that there will be no furlough days for police officers anytime soon. They may yet be asked to surrender some of their perks, though.
Hairston would like to eliminate the practice of paying police on days when they're "available" for duty, even if they don't actually get called in to work.
That will be a sore point if the bad economy continues for several years. The city can't afford to dip into its cash reserves every year, or funds meant as long-term investments will dry out quickly.
It's a bit like using your IRA or 401-K to pay the grocery bill. When it's gone, serious cutbacks must be made.
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