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Archived President Letters
IAFF Contract for Local
#473 2007-2010 |
The article “Waukegan Budget Proposal could cut deficit to $3M,” affirms the position of the Waukegan Firefighter’s Union: it’s not about money; it’s about priorities.
In early June the city projected a $6.2 million shortfall in its budget. This “projection” came from the Illinois Municipal League, a Springfield lobbying group that works for municipalities throughout Illinois.
The city claimed it had made all the cuts it could before approaching the union and threatening layoffs or asking for wage concessions. However, the city couldn’t produce any evidence of this. We asked what the balance of the general fund was at the end of the last fiscal year. To this day they haven’t told us.
The city said virtually all of the $6.2 million dollar projected deficit would be erased if unions accepted wage concessions and layoffs of public safety employees. Clearly this was an attempt to balance the budget solely on the backs of the employees of the city.
A doomsday deadline of July 1 was set. That date has come and gone. The city has now been able to cut this projected deficit by almost half.
We are not a union solely out for our own financial gain. Waukegan firefighters answer more calls per firefighter and are one of the lowest paid when compared to comparable communities. Our overtime budget is almost non-existent; we attend trainings, funerals, and parades all without compensation.
Two of our five stations are understaffed, prompting our members to essentially volunteer to staff the deficiencies at no cost to the city. The first member to do this was told, because of workman’s compensation and other issues, to go home.
We are active in the community and will continue to be so. It’s evidence that we care about the safety of our residents. Their safety takes priority over before any and all budget actions.
I am proud and humbled to be able to represent such a noble and compassionate group of people.
Brad Buntrock
President
Waukegan Firefighters, IAFF Local #473
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Law Suit Against
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