San Jose Officials Delay Ballot Measure To Work On Pension Reform
SAN JOSE (KCBS) – Police layoffs and shorter library hours are just two of the cuts that the San Jose City Council has approved as part of plans to close a $115 million budget shortfall.
Five of San Jose's eleven unions have agreed to work with the city on a framework for pension reform, as San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed has put his call to declare a fiscal emergency on hold. He also said he is delaying a ballot measure on pension reform until at least next March so that the two sides can work towards a deal.
KCBS' Mike Colgan Reports:
"The framework that we did reach an agreement on provides for the ability to negotiate concurrently on the issues of retirement reform and related ballot measures," said San Jose Director of Employee Relations Alex Gurza.
Nancy Ostrowski, who represents three of the city's unions that agreed to start working on the issue of pension reform, said they know they are up against the clock.
"We pledge. We're right there when it comes to working and we have a very short window of time," she said. "We appreciate the city in continuing efforts to work with us on pension reform. Now we can move on to the real work."
Negotiations on a framework for pension reform are expected to go on until October.
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