As she gears up for the LA Mayor’s runoff election, Wendy Greuel has said she is open to revisiting pension benefit reductions that the City imposed on its unions last fall. She had previously criticized the manner in which the reductions were implemented, but now she has gone farther in describing them as not being in good faith.
Those reductions, which apply only to civilian employees hired after July 1 this year, are intended to save the City $4 billion over the next 30 years. But the City’s unions have already protested and filed an unfair labor practices complaint, saying that the City never negotiated in good faith. At least one member of the City Council claimed that the City does not need to negotiate pension changes for employees who aren’t yet hired.
Greuel’s focus on revisiting pension benefits comes shortly after she made statements comparing her opponent in the race, Eric Garcetti, to Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker.
By reopening discussions about pension benefits, Greuel may be trying to head off an expected lawsuit and associated costs and delays. But those opposed to her plan say that reopening negotiations could result in an even longer delay as each proposal offered by the unions would need to be closely examined before the City could declare an impasse. Even then, there is no guarantee that the unions won’t sue.
Read the full article at the Los Angeles Times.