The Coalition of City Unions and IFPTE Local 17 will deliver back_postcard to Mayor Mike McGinn's office today at noon, demanding that he stick to his campaign promise (and a subsequent executive order) to lay off 200 managers and strategic advisors in lieu of eliminating their cost-of-living pay increase next year. The city is facing a budget shortfall of $56 million next year. The city's labor relations division has asked the unions to come up with $6 million in cuts to labor costs from the general fund by giving up a planned 2 percent COLA in 2011.

In a letter to labor relations director David Bracilano, the unions unequivocally reject the idea of giving up next year's pay increase. "We are not interested in any type of proposal that contains reducing the Cost of Living Adjustment for 2011," the letter says. In addition to eliminating some contracts and doing more work in-house, the letter says McGinn should eliminate 200 positions before eliminating members' 2011 pay increase. "Even though we were assured by Mayor McGinn... that the City is serious about addressing the issue of top-heavy management, we have yet to see any significant action towards achieving that goal. ... If the Mayor is committed to his own Executive Order, this would realize at least $20 million (200 senior level positions * $100,000) in savings.

Strategic advisors at the city have strongly protested McGinn's executive order, noting that many of them received that title because they've been at the city for many years. They've also pointed out that most of the employees who would lose their jobs under the order are over 40, raising the possibility of an age-discrimination lawsuit.