North Prov mayor: layoffs or pay cuts

NORTH PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - Another Rhode Island town in financial trouble: North Providence's mayor is giving his firefighters a choice -- everyone take pay cuts and pay up more for healthcare, or some of them will lose their jobs. One union leader says with that choice, nobody wins.

The scenarios are playing out all over the Ocean State, the same in town after town: Municipal unions are negotiating with mayors and town managers over pay cuts or layoffs. North Providence has a nearly 12-million dollar budget shortfall.

To close the gap, Mayor Charles Lombardi (D) is asking workers to take 5% pay cuts, and to start kicking in 15% of the cost of their health care. That's not counting a 9% property tax hike.

"The time has come," said Mayor Charles Lombardi. "We've run out of time, we've run out of options, and more importantly, we've run out of money."

The president of the firefighters union believes his members are leaning toward layoffs, not pay cuts.

John Silva, Firefighters Union President:
"Do you want the acid, or the caustic soda? It doesn't make a difference," said union president John Silva. "Either one's gonna hurt you. You try to pick the one that's gonna be least effective to the members as a whole."

But Mayor Lombardi believes pay cuts for all would be preferable to layoffs for some.

"It's time to give back a little to a town that had given so much to you over the years," said Mayor Lombardi Thursday. "That's disappointing to me that we have people that are saying, 'Take a hike! Do what you have to do'... and lay off those people that you work with!"

The firefighters union is set to vote later Thursday night on whether to accept the the pay cuts. If they vote to reject them, the mayor says he'll start the layoff process almost immediately; as soon as Monday.