LA city unions wary of mayor's plans

LOS ANGELES, March 26 (UPI) -- Leaders of city employee unions in Los Angeles declined to comment on a plan by the mayor's office to seek new concessions to help close a budget shortfall.

The Los Angeles Times said Saturday that while the city's insistence on concessions has been no secret, the unions are refusing to tip their hand.

"We don't negotiate in the press and the newspaper, and we'd like to see the mayor honor that principle as well," said Pat McOsker, president of the United Firefighters of Los Angeles.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said Friday he would be asking all city departments to make sacrifices to address the financial turmoil.

"We will be asking all employees and departments to consider how they too can offer reasonable, responsible changes at this time of historic deficits," Villaraigosa said.

Some labor leaders told the Times city employees appreciated the budget jam and were willing to work with City Hall on a mutually agreeable compromise, but it would be unfair to blame city workers for problems caused by the overall downturn in the economy.