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Miami Police Union Fighting Budget Cuts

MIAMI (CBSMiami.com) – The Miami City Commission was scheduled to hold a special meeting to decide the fate of the police union contract as the city closes a $62 million budget hole.

But, just before the meeting was supposed to start, the meeting was cancelled as negotiations between the city and the police union were improving.

The only union that continues to holdout against any changes is the Miami Police Department union. City leaders want the police union to agree to slash $12 million from the department.

The city has agreed to cuts with the sanitation, general employees, and the fire union. That leaves the police union as the lone stumbling block.

The majority of the police cuts would be from eliminating pay supplements, three paid holidays, and special night shift pay from the roughly 1,000 union members. An additional $5 million would come from not purchasing new police cars and forcing members to pay for physicals and new uniforms.

The police union will have a hard time trying to win the battle with the city. Just like last year, the city has declared a financial urgency. This means commissioners can impose union contract cuts, regardless of the union's position.

(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Miami Herald contributed to this report.)

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