Aurora police labor complaint protests layoffs

While the fundraiser organized by Aurora police officers for their eight former colleagues is not a political statement, the patrol officers union has taken at least one step to protest the layoffs.

The union filed an unfair labor practices complaint against the city and Mayor Tom Weisner, claiming the city restrained the union’s collective bargaining rights and retaliated with layoffs after the union exercised its First Amendment rights during an informational picket.

The complaint says the city failed to bargain in good faith by offering a 1 percent raise during negotiations, then later asking for a 10 percent reduction in combined salary and benefits to help fill a projected $18 million gap in the 2011 budget.

“I think it certainly makes the city’s position very difficult to defend when all along they’re offering raises, then when we reject it, which is their right, they threaten with layoffs,” Tim O’Neill, attorney for the patrol officers union, said.

In a statement, the city responded to the complaint by saying the complaint is “baseless” and ignores the city’s contractual right to lay off police employees.

“The city is disappointed — but not surprised — to find that rather than working together to resolve issues, police union leadership has chosen to make false allegations,” the statement says. “(Police union) leadership has steadfastly and arrogantly refused to even discuss making any contract modifications, leaving the city with no choice but to lay off eight of 235 officers in order to plug the budget gap.”

Complaints filed with the Illinois Labor Relations Board often take months to process. The complaint was filed Jan. 6, and the next step will be for a labor board investigator to meet with union representatives to get a better understanding of the issues, the board’s executive director John Brosnan said.