The pink slips would hit city services like parks and transportation – departments that have already taken big cuts. Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson says he thinks many members of Stationary Engineers Local 39 want to make concessions to keep their jobs.
Johnson: “Their rank and file is saying, look, we need to be able to weigh in and we’re not sure that the union leadership is representing our interest, because we don’t want to lose workers and we’re willing to give concessions.”
Bryant: “I’m sorry that the mayor is so out of touch with what’s really going on in the city.”
Local 39’s Joan Bryant says the majority of her members want the union to negotiate.
Bryant: “We are not going to abandon that process because we have a few – and when I say a few, I really mean a very few people – who believe that we should just throw up our hands and not go through the bargaining process.”
Bryant won’t say why the union is holding out. But her time is growing short. Without a deal, the layoffs take effect Friday.