Members of the Denver Fire Fighters Local 858 overwhelming voted this week to forgo promised pay raises for two years and restructure their benefits to save the city some $7 million.
The union called the vote a commitment to safety and the communities it serves. We think it was a selfless act that not only will keep firefighters in their jobs but also sends a message that the union wants to help the city through these difficult budget times.
We applaud Denver’s firefighters for their sacrifice as they will give up a 4 percent pay raise in 2010 and a 3.8 percent hike in 2011. (The raises will be paid at a later date.)
The vote — 84 percent were in favor — also signaled loyalty to fellow firefighters, since more than 50 of them might have been laid off otherwise. That’s what we’ve found so troubling about last month’s “no” vote by Denver’s police union that could result in the firing of 90 officers.
It couldn’t have been easy for firefighters to let go of an average $7,625 per firefighter increase, especially as living costs continue to escalate. It’s of little solace, but the misery is shared by countless other workers in Colorado who have taken wage cuts, pay an increased share of their health benefit costs, struggle in understaffed offices, or who have been laid off.
These are not easy times. Denver is experiencing its worst revenue plunge since 1933, according to the mayor’s office. Sales tax revenue, which makes up half of the city revenue stream, is expected to decline by 7.6 percent.
Had Denver firefighters voted “no,” they could have been laid off and stations possibly shuttered, which in all likelihood would have meant delayed response times to emergencies.
It’s not too late for police officers to make similar concessions, and we hope that they do so.
The mayor asked police to delay their scheduled pay increases of 4.5 percent in 2010 and 3 percent in 2011. But the Denver Police Protection Association recently voted (60 to 40) to take their contracted raises.
Police Chief Gerry Whitman has said the department’s operating budget is trimmed “to the bone.”
Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper has said about 90 percent of the police budget is personnel costs, so clearly that’s where the cuts must be made.
It’s time for officers to follow the firefighters’ lead and delay raises, help the city and its residents, and support their junior officers.
Hickenlooper unveiled his plan Tuesday to make up the city’s $120 million shortfall, and we think it preserves the quality of life in Denver. However, it would be better if it didn’t include laying off 90 police officers.
