Cop layoffs may divide Naperville council

If there ever was a time Naperville Mayor George Pradel wanted to show a unified front, it would be Tuesday night when police officers conduct an informational picket outside his city council meeting.

The likelihood of that happening, however, are slim as some council members appear increasingly concerned about laying off six police officers in response to a recent three-year contract agreement the city says it can't afford.

Police union officials have filed an unfair labor practice complaint against the city claiming the layoffs are retaliation for the union negotiating a three-year contract that gives officers raises of 3.3 percent for 2009-10 and 3 percent in both 2010-11 and 2011-12.

The city council approved the agreement in advance behind closed doors. But upon its approval, City Manager Doug Krieger immediately said the financially strapped city can't afford the raises without reducing police department staffing.

Councilman Robert Fieseler said Monday the complaint is causing him to have second thoughts.

He said he can understand how police could view the layoffs as “retaliatory,” but he doesn't believe they were meant that way.

His concerns likely will be enough for him to call for the ordinance reducing police department staffing to be removed from Monday's consent agenda for further discussion and a roll-call vote. The consent agenda typically includes items the council has agreed unanimously to support.

At least two other councilmen, Richard Furstenau and Doug Krause, already have indicated support for a public council vote on the matter.

“It would be a disservice not to pull it at this point,” Fieseler said. “It ought to have its own public discussion.”

Councilman James Boyajian said that's already been done.

“We already made a decision and it is supported by a majority of the council,” he said. “Our officers do great work and in return have been compensated very, very, very fairly over the years. We've made it very clear we're in a severe financial strain. We've made a decision moving forward that was done with tremendous care and attention.”

Pradel fears pulling the item and allowing council members to vote independently on the layoffs may send the wrong message.

“Right now it's a 50/50 to be pulled off (the consent agenda) so we'll see what happens,” Pradel said. “I'm happy with it being on consent because that means we're working as a team. That would sing volumes that we're united.”

In reality, the only items the council appears united on is that the city made it clear to the union that the proposed salary increases “would be accounted for by a head-count reduction” and that the city agreed to raises it felt it couldn't afford because officials feared they would be “taken to the cleaners” during arbitration when the city's police salaries are compared to those in municipalities such as Aurora, Elgin and Joliet.

“That's very true because we did baseball bargaining where an arbitrator looks at an offer from the city and a proposal by the union and chooses from the two,” council member Judy Brodhead said. “The advice we got told us that Naperville would be compared to cities of about the same size. History has shown that kind of bargaining typically favors the unions so that would have been an even more expensive proposition that would cost the city more.”

Pradel said more discussions may be necessary but only with the union.

“Deep down everyone realizes we're in a deep recession. We just don't have the money,” he said. “We need to answer them and share with them how our money is spent. If we join hands we can make it happen.”