BUENA PARK : Fire, Police Groups to Picket Meeting

City police and fire association members said they plan to picket Monday night’s City Council meeting because of a dispute with the city over cuts in benefits and no pay raise this year.

Both employee groups this week rejected the city’s final offer for new one-year contracts. Their contracts expired Oct. 31, 1992. “(The city’s) offer was pure take-aways,” said David L. Woofter, president of the Buena Park Police Assn., which has 84 sworn members and 44 civilian employees.

Woofter said the city’s final offer included reductions in dental coverage, some unpaid holidays and pay cuts for dispatchers, records clerks and jailers.

Woofter said association members voted not to accept the contract offer Wednesday night and noted that employees have not had a pay raise since October, 1991. “Our membership felt overwhelmingly that it’s not appropriate that they don’t get raises this year,” he said. “After 2 1/2 years of being patient, it’s time.”

David C. Dorn, president of the Buena Park Firemen’s Assn., said the 53-member group unanimously rejected its contract with the city on Friday over unresolved issues similar to those raised by the police association. “The city has the ability to pay (for raises), but they want to balance the budget on the backs of the employees,” Dorn said.

City Manager Kevin O’Rourke said the city cannot afford to give pay raises but rather must make severe cutbacks. This year alone, he said, the city has a deficit because of state cutbacks totaling as much $2 million.

“This is purely financially driven,” he said. “The only reason we’re doing this is because of the financial crisis we find ourselves in. . . . When you consider 70% of the city budget . . . is (made up) of personnel costs, I don’t have very many choices but to make cuts. I feel we need these concessions to soften the blow and keep as many of the city’s employees working as possible.”