Greenfield Mayor Reacts to Fire Union's Temporary Restraining Order

Hours after a Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge that prevented the City of Greenfield from approving medical insurance plans for the city’s firefighters, Greenfield Mayor Michael Neitzke warned of city-wide layoffs and benefit reductions if the fire union does not make similar concessions the city’s other employees are making.

In a statement read at Tuesday’s Common Council meeting at City Hall, where a handful of fire personnel were in attendance, Neitzke said cuts will have to come from somewhere to make up a the 2012 budget shortfall, a figure projected to be around $500,000.

The Common Council was prepared to discuss and possible approve a medical plan recommended by the Finance and Human Resources Committee that would have increased deductibles and coinsurance costs and raised out-of-pocket maximums to hefty totals of $20,000 per individual and $40,000 per family.

The plan was presented to the committee after the fire union of 5.9 percent to their pensions and 12.6 percent to their health insurance, with some additional minor changes to the health plan.

The two sides are expected to meet again to discuss what concessions, if any, the union will agree to.

“Once the city knows what cost-saving measures the fire union is willing to make to help the city address its future budgetary needs, we will be in a better position to decide what health insurance plan design we will adopt,” Neitzke read from his statement.

“If we cannot achieve those savings through negotiations, and Judge (Maxine) White extends the temporary restraining order beyond October 20, as mayor, I intend to adopt an alternative budget that reduces costs in other areas, considering service reductions, layoffs in all areas including public safety, reductions in other benefits for non-public safety employees and any other sources for savings to the budget.”

The temporary restraining order was made necessary in presenting two health care plans, according to union attorney Timothy Hawks of Hawks Quindel, S.C.

“It’s illegal for the city to bargain about (health insurance),” Hawks said. “Despite the city’s claims that it was not bargaining it cannot hide from its proposal. Leaving the union an option is a form of collective bargaining. … Not only can the union not bargain about it, the city can’t either.”

Hawks said the firefighters will work with the city, negotiate and “contribute their fair share,” but added the temporary restraining order protected elements of Act 10 as it relates to protective services.

“Act 10, the special session law, took some care to exclude from its consequences protect service employees, especially protecting their rights to collectively bargain,” Hawks said. “If the city’s approach was adopted and continued, it would completely undo what the governor did and what the legislature did with Act. 10.”