The economic conditions facing the city have resulted in significantly reduced revenues. Although all City departments have drastically reduced expenditures, the revenue shortfalls exceed the expenditure reductions.
The City of Rocklin Management Team and the Rocklin Firefighters’ Union Local 3847 have been meeting for several weeks to discuss ways to reduce expenditures for fiscal years 2009/10 and 2010/11. A variety of options to reduce costs were discussed, including reducing the number of full time career personnel. The Union was adamant that they did not want staffing levels reduced. The Union feels the department is currently below desired staffing levels and can’t afford to lose any additional career firefighters. Therefore, other options were explored.
The City and Union have enjoyed a cooperative working relationship through this endeavor. The recent meetings have been professional and productive and have resulted in an agreement to amend the current Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
The highlights of the amendments include an agreement to postpone contracted salary increases for a period of two years and an extension of the agreement for the same period. The resulting salary and benefit savings will help the City achieve a balanced budget.
Captain Richard Holmes, Union President, stated that his members understand the fiscal crisis facing the City. He said the firefighters are willing to postpone their increases to help diminish the financial constraints facing the City and hope that all other City employees feel the same way. Holmes said, ‘The safety of the public and the firefighters is our primary concern. We remain committed to providing the high level of service that the residents of Rocklin deserve.’
The City appreciates the Union’s willingness to agree to these changes and values the relationship it has with the firefighters. City Manager Carlos Urrutia, stated, ‘Our fire department staff has always displayed a high level of integrity and willingness to work with management.’