“The city’s administration has made significant progress towards reaching agreement with three of the city’s four employee unions.  To date, preliminary agreements have been struck with both unions representing our general services and sanitation employees.  We are hopeful that a similar preliminary agreement will be reached shortly with the city’s fire union.

These preliminary agreements regarding labor contract concessions will allow the administration to present a balanced budget with a flat millage rate that could lead to no employee layoffs from those unions.  I would like to acknowledge and thank the leadership of the AFSCME 1907, AFSCME 871, and the IAFF for their continued cooperation through what have been undoubtedly difficult negotiations.

Regrettably, the city’s administration has been unable to reach similar tentative agreements with our police union, the FOP.   The administration has requested that all police employees accept a 4% across-the-board salary reduction, as well as forego their scheduled raises next year. This would save all of the 190 jobs of our city’s finest police officers. We are asking no more, and no less, of the police union than that which is being asked of every other employee in the City of Miami, including executives and elected officials.

However, this offer has been continually rejected by the union’s representatives, which has forced us to take the necessary steps to terminate the employment of approximately 100 police recruits and sworn officers.  These layoffs will become effective at the start of the coming fiscal year, October 1st.  Additional layoffs will be announced in the coming days until the force reductions needed to reach a balance budget are achieved.

Each of the affected officers has been notified that the City stands ready to assist them and their families during this difficult transition.  We thank each and every one of these fine men and women for their distinguished service to our city and its residents. 

The FOP has the power to avoid these layoffs. It is my sincere hope that future negotiations with representatives of the FOP will result in an agreement that will allow the administration to rescind most, if not all, of the recent layoffs.”