By Mark Schlueb
The Orlando Sentinel
ORLANDO, Fla. — Firefighters from across Florida picketed Orlando City Hall on Monday to pressure Mayor Buddy Dyer to kill a plan to lay off public-safety workers.
An estimated 250 Orlando firefighters were bolstered by about 400 from out of town, who were bused in from a state firefighters convention on International Drive. They were joined by several dozen Orlando police officers and other workers who face the loss of their jobs.
Dyer has proposed eliminating about 10 percent of the city’s work force — including laying off 222 employees — to avoid a budget deficit projected at $43.5 million next year.
Pickets wearing yellow T-shirts and carrying signs saying “Your Service, Your Safety, Rescue OFD, Save OPD” lined both sides of Orange Avenue for a full city block during the afternoon rush hour. A banner that read “Shame On Mayor Dyer” stretched across the corner, and at least one sign proclaimed “Dyer Is A Liar.” Many motorists honked in support as they drove by.
It was the latest effort by the city’s public-safety unions to win public opinion to their cause. The politically savvy firefighters union, in particular, has been knocking on doors to seek support from taxpayers.
But Dyer told the Orlando Sentinel on Monday that his administration could avoid laying off 46 firefighters and 30 police officers — and reduce the number of job cuts in other departments — if the unions would agree to give up the roughly 3.5 percent cost-of-living increase included in their labor contracts. None of the four unions that represent city workers has been willing to renegotiate those agreements, he said.
“They can come rally, but the decision is totally in their hands,” Dyer said. “We feel their pain. It’s tough all over. It’s tough for our citizens, and it’s a tough budget year.”
Dyer said the city has sunk millions into public safety during his tenure, building and staffing several new fire stations and hiring 50 more police officers.
“There is no city in the state of Florida that’s made a bigger investment in public safety than the city of Orlando in the last five years,” Dyer said.
He said most police officers and firefighters would still receive automatic pay adjustments averaging about 4.7 percent even if they agreed to give up the cost-of-living increase.
But Steve Clelland, president of the Orlando firefighters union, said the mayor has never told them exactly how much money he wants public-safety workers to give up.
“This is the first I’ve heard of that,” he said. “There seems to be this feeling that the firefighters have had it so great for a long time that it’s OK to treat us unfairly now.”
Alphonso Mayfield, president of Service Employees International Union, agreed, saying the Dyer administration hasn’t asked for anything specific.
“The way this has been done has been wrong-headed,” Mayfield said.
The police union has cast the debate as a choice between public safety and the plan for new community venues: an Orlando Magic arena, performing-arts center and upgraded Citrus Bowl. Police union chairman Sam Hoffman says city leaders are unwilling to use emergency reserves to bolster public safety because the money is being used to provide credit support for the venues.
“We’re not going to voluntarily come to the table because our members have told us not to,” Hoffman said. “We don’t believe it’s our responsibility to fund the venues with our pay.”
Copyright 2009 Sentinel Communications Co.