The Mayor of Tulsa is asking police officers and firefighters to take a 7.5% and 8.6% cut in pay respectively while other city workers' pay would see a 5.2% decrease. If the unions do not agree to the terms of the agreement the Mayor says that he will have no choice but to layoff 135 policemen and 130 firefighters. Some police and firemen say that taking the terms of the Mayors agreement would mean as much as a 20% drop in benefits. If the unions accept only parts of the plan, some layoffs will still occur. Both unions are in the process of casting votes on the measure. The Mayor says that the budget has to be balanced and layoffs or pay decreases are the only ways to do it.
See "Pay Cuts or Layoffs", The Tulsa Beacon, January 21, 2010