Aurora police union pickets against layoffs

In discussions between the city of Aurora and the Association of Professional Police Officers, neither side is happy.

The police union organized a picket before Tuesday evening's city council meeting to voice its complaints about possible layoffs and concessions to aldermen and city staff.

“They (city officials) still haven't provided us an answer of why they didn't cut back on spending,” said David Schmidt, president of the police union, adding an explanation is due after the union gave concessions when the city was in a similar budget crunch last year.

City authorities say spending less on personnel costs is necessary to fill a projected $18 million revenue shortfall. Personnel costs make up 85 percent of the city's budget, Carie Anne Ergo, chief management officer, said.

“It is disappointing that police officers and management have flatly refused to work with the city on this issue,” Ergo said in a statement. “Every other employee group has been open to concession discussions for 2011.”

The police union invited members of other bargaining units representing city employees, as well as police officers from Elgin, Joliet, Kane County and Naperville, to attend the picket. Schmidt estimated 300 people attended the picket and as many as could fit filed into the council chambers for the city council meeting.

“We're just trying to send a message that layoffs are not really a viable option,” Tim Jones, secretary/treasurer of the Aurora Sergeants Association said.

About 80 layoffs occurred last year, when the city was facing a $19 million budget deficit, but Ergo said none of those layoffs took police officers off the streets.

Schmidt said avoiding police layoffs may be as simple as removing positions that are already vacant from the police section of the city's budget. He said 13 patrol positions, two commander positions and one deputy chief spot all are vacant, yet remain in the budget.

“We continue to say all they need to do is eliminate the vacant positions,” Schmidt said.

The city has not released a draft of the 2011 budget to city council or the public, but authorities have said the budget should be completed sometime this month.

The police union so far has been the only bargaining unit of ten representing city employees to speak publicly about the concessions the city is asking for, which amount to a ten percent decrease in each employee's pay from some combination of salary and benefits.

“The city did ask for concessions,” said Jones of the sergeant's union. “We have decided that we're not willing to make any concessions.”

Schmidt said union members got their point across with the picket. He said the group got loud at the end of the council meeting, as many walked out while Mayor Tom Weisner was speaking. Three aldermen, Richard Irvin, Stephanie Kifowit and Rick Lawrence, attended a reception the police union hosted after the meeting to discuss the issues further, Schmidt said.