The City of Las Vegas is facing, much like many other cities in this country, a big budget deficit. It was originally estimated at around $80 million for the 2010 fiscal year but now might be more towards $120 million for the 2012 fiscal year. All city employees were asked to take an 8% salary cut in light of the budget shortfall but so far only the International Association of Fire Fighters has a tentative deal on the table. It’s still not official but it’s something. May 18th is the final budget hearing for the city and if nothing is done soon the “carnage”, as Mayor Oscar Goodman puts it, will begin. The Mayor knows that laying people off isn’t the solution because it creates more unemployment but the city has no other option. The Fire Fighters are the only city union as of right now holding negotiations with the city. Just last month the cities largest union, the Las Vegas City Employees Association, voted for no concessions.
These people are being greedy. I know it’s hard in this economy to take a salary cut but if it might save you or a co-workers job wouldn’t you do it? Originally they were talking of laying off 140-150 people and now since there is no cooperation that number has ballooned to 300. I myself had to take a pay cut of 10% about 8 months ago because our company was going through some hard times. We did it, we turned it around and I got my 10% back. Sometimes you have to make a sacrifice to survive. These people need to realize the bigger picture and quit being so selfish.
All of this budget talk is a little too much for Mayor Oscar Goodman. During the late news last night on News Channel 3 here in Vegas, they showed an obviously frustrated Mayor in the council room. He told the people there what he needed…besides cooperation.
Notice how he threw in the “publicly” at the end there… Leads me to believe Oscar might have been knocking some back without anyone knowing, haha… I don’t blame him though, if the city I was in charge of was acting how they are here, I would want a drink too.
