The Meet and Confer discussions with the city have been very slow and difficult due to a number of reasons.
First, the present fiscal condition of the city is at best upside down and city management claims that they see no end to the financial problems during the FY 11 and possibly the FY 12 budgets.
Secondly, the Meet and Confer process is brand new here in Dallas and accordingly, the new forum, which is a voluntary, has presented a number of challenges to the way management deals with the Police and Fire Meet and Confer representatives.
Finally, the most problematic piece of the process has come from harmful recommendations offered by city management’s “Public Safety Focus Group Committee.”
The Public Safety Committee has recommended furloughs and pay cuts for Dallas Police and Fire Fighters. Unfortunately, the Committee’s recommendation has created anxiety and anger within our department and has complicated the Meet and Confer process to boot.
That said, it’s our responsibility to do all we can as a member of the Meet and Confer team to maneuver a minefield to avoid percentage pay cuts and convince the city to approve alternative benefit increases during the city’s financial crisis.
We will have a much better handle on the gravity of the situation in a few weeks. When we do, we will be better positioned to know how to proceed with Meet and Confer negotiations.
The bottom line for all of us to remember is, since we don’t have a contract in place, city management can continue to make unilateral decisions that none of us would have any say in as it relates to how any problems dealing with Dallas police officers pay and benefits are resolved.
It’s our goal to make decisions that are in the best short and long-term interests of all officers in our Department.
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