Oakland municipal employee union leaders are calling on city leaders to protect jobs and services in the face of a massive budget deficit.
The union leaders expressed concerns over the weekend about proposed layoffs and service cuts that would address the city's widening budget deficit.
The city faces an estimated $115 million one-year budget shortfall. A recent city finance department report says the total, when added to the money needed to restore its emergency reserve fund, will require a total of about $143 million to erase.
The union leaders said the city should revisit reforms, which unions have called for, as a way to save money. These include eliminating longstanding funded, but unfilled positions; improving business tax collection and improving parking enforcement.
Other reforms include auditing police department overtime; using civilian staff for certain roles in the police department; applying for workforce development grants; and reducing top-level executive pay.
