Mayor Bing Will Meet With Unions To Address Concessions
DETROIT (WWJ) - In an effort to avoid an emergency financial manager in Detroit, Mayor Dave Bing will be meeting with the city's 48 unions this week and will attempt to get concessions from them.
"Health care concessions are very, very important. Right now, we are totally non-competitive . We're paying 108 % of their salary for health care benefits . That is not sustainable . We can't continue to go down that road," says Mayor Bing.
Bing says a meeting with Governor Snyder went well last week. Bing has asked for an extension of the utility tax, an increase in the tax on casinos and a continuation of the city's income tax as the city faces a 280-million dollar deficit.
Otherwise, Bing says the city may get an emergency financial manager, someone who may not be from Detroit who will just look at hard numbers and he doesn't feel that's the way to go.
"It is absolutely necessary, all of us are going to have to suffer, a little while, we are going to have to accept the pain. There is no way we can get around bringing this city back, without coming to the table," says Bing.
Bing feels he would be qualified to be the city's emergency financial manager , if it comes to that, but says it wouldn't be his decision.
