Riordan Calls Approval of DWP Pay Hike a Mistake

Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan said Tuesday it was a “mistake” for him to approve a 9% pay hike for striking Department of Water and Power employees in September because it has set a precedent for wage demands by other employees, including police officers.

Riordan’s statement was his first concession that he erred in handling the nine-day walkout by DWP union members. The workers won a 9% raise over three years--a wage pact that other city employee groups, including the powerful Police Protective League, now say should be a model for settling their own wage disputes.

“This is a very hard thing to explain,” Riordan told a member of a Rotary Club audience who asked about the DWP deal. “But I have to stand up and say I think it was a mistake.”

Talking to reporters later, Riordan said he and City Council supporters of the settlement were caught up in the threat to public service posed by the strike and viewed the wage talks without considering their wider impact. “It seemed unique at the time,” he said.

But only days after the settlement of the DWP dispute, David Zeigler, president of the 7,500-member Police Protective League, was warning, “We’re not going to accept anything less than DWP.”

On Tuesday, Zeigler said: “For him to say now that he’s made a mistake is not going to fly with our membership. Hopefully he’ll realize he’s got a done deal and that now it’s time to address the needs of his most important employees, the city’s police officers.”

The Police Protective League’s most recent proposal to the city mirrors the DWP settlement: No raise this year, but 3% in each of the next three years.

Police Chief Willie L. Williams has said that while he recognizes the city’s budget woes, he believes officers deserve at least as good a deal as DWP workers.

The city has pleaded poverty in the police contract talks, to the chagrin of many of the rank-and-file officers represented by the union. Their anger boiled over last month when league officials announced that eight in 10 officers urged the union to call a “blue flu” sickout. That lasted only one shift before it was temporarily halted by a Superior Court judge, but it forced the department to call a tactical alert in order to maintain its patrol forces.

With no contract settlement in sight, officers remain disgruntled, and union leaders have warned that they will call for more job actions if the city continues to hold out on granting a raise.

The DWP settlement was reached as the city was engaged in wage talks with almost all of its bargaining units; at least two dozen still lack contracts.

Police officers may have the highest profile, but others are grumbling as well. For instance, two weeks ago, the DWP pact was cited by leaders who represent more than 1,000 members of the Service Employees International Union who marched on City Hall to press for a new contract.

The mayor’s admission caused consternation among his aides.

“I think he’s said enough,” said Riordan press secretary Annette Castro.

Other aides rolled their eyes in disbelief at his remarks, made at a Van Nuys Rotary Club luncheon.

The mayor’s statements were quickly interpreted by some as a sign that Riordan is signaling the city’s other unions not to expect as rich a contract as that won by the DWP.

“If I were sitting in the unions’ chairs, I’d think the mayor was saying, ‘I made a mistake and I’m not going to do it again,’ ” suggested Councilwoman Laura Chick. “You learn from your mistakes. Now the sin would be to commit the same mistake twice. If this is what he’s saying, then that’s a good message.”

Chick, who voted for the DWP wage hike and now also says it was an error, added: “What’s clear with 20-20 hindsight is that we weren’t looking at the bigger picture of the city’s fiscal situation and the equity situation for other employees too.”

Riordan on Tuesday reiterated grim forecasts that the city will confront a $200-million budget shortfall next fiscal year.

But Riordan also repeated his pledge that there would be an unspecified amount of extra money in the budget to give officers a pay hike. “We will include in next year’s budget money for a raise for the Police Department,” Riordan said, noting that the officers have gone two years without an increase.

Council President John Ferraro, speaking through his press secretary, also was caught off guard by the mayor’s statement. Ferraro and the council’s top budget expert, Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky, were in South Korea visiting Los Angeles’ sister cities of Seoul and Pusan.

In his statement, Ferraro defended the city’s deal with the DWP. “The council did what it thought was right at the time,” Ferraro said. “We were fortunate that we had no major problems and power outages. But there were no guarantees these wouldn’t occur during the strike so the City Council made what it thought was the right decision.”

Public support for the DWP settlement waned after it was revealed that the huge utility spent more than $800,000 on catered meals for DWP supervisors who worked overtime to keep systems operating during the walkout. The agency also took a hit when Councilman Joel Wachs and others accused top DWP officials of misleading the council. In an effort to secure an early settlement, the officials claimed during the strike that the utility was losing money. They later reported that the agency actually saved money during the walkout.

Tuesday’s comments were not Riordan’s first public admission of error since he took office. Three weeks ago, he apologized for failing to show enough sympathy for homeowners burned out by recent wildfires when he expressed relief that the blazes had not crossed city lines.

One political consultant said admissions of error can be refreshing.

“I think people like to hear a politician say they made a mistake,” said veteran Democratic strategist Joe Cerrell. “It’s such a rarity.”

Times staff writer Jim Newton contributed to this story.