Stothert to fire union: Slash paramedic training and I'll hold off on layoffs, keep rigs in service

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.omaha.com/article/20131105/NEWS/131109201/1707#stothert-to-fire-union-slash-paramedic-training-and-i-ll-hold-off-on-layoffs-keep-rigs-in-service

By Erin Golden

Mayor Jean Stothert has tweaked her offer to the Omaha fire union, agreeing to hold off on layoffs and keep rigs in service for a year, so long as the Fire Department slashes the size of its paramedic training program.

The proposal, released Tuesday evening, comes with an ultimatum: Agree to this deal by Friday, or 19 firefighters will lose their jobs on Jan. 4.

It's a slight variation from the plan Stothert offered one day earlier, which did not come with any guarantees for keeping rigs in service. And while the mayor had initially said she would drop the number of paramedics trained from 48 to 12, she upped that number to 24.

Stothert said she would hold off on layoffs or pulling rigs from service in 2015 if the department stays within one-half percent of its $90.6 million budget in 2014.

FULL story at link.