In the midst of tight budgets, the Long Beach City Council last night approved a motion to freeze the pay of many City employees, meaning that they will not receive raises even if they were previously promised. Those affected by last night’s decision include firefighters, attorneys, prosecutors, lifeguards, management and handlers of confidential information. A similar decision on the seventh – and largest – City employee union will be made during next week’s meeting. The Council voted 7-1 on the issue, with 3rd District Councilmember Gary DeLong dissenting. The Press-Telegram‘s Paul Eakins reports:
Third District Councilman Gary DeLong voted against the contracts, saying after the meeting that he couldn’t support them because they still included step increases, which are standard raises given to workers as they advance through the city’s employee pay grade system.
“I don’t believe the city was being unreasonable in requesting employees to freeze all compensation for this next fiscal year in consideration of this difficult financial environment we all find ourselves in,” DeLong told the Press-Telegram.
The freeze will affect members of six unions, and was vital to the 2010 budget approved by the Council weeks ago. The plan counted on pay freezes in order to equalize a deficit that amounted to $38 million. The Council postponed a vote on possible furloughs for City employees, and will revisit the issue next week.
Earlier yesterday, in a 3:30pm study session, the Council heard testimony from members from two small, eastside communities – Island Village and Imperial Estates – who asked for annexation to Seal Beach as they have felt alienated and overlooked by the City of Long Beach. The District Weekly‘s Dave Wielenga was the first to report on the issue, in this story.