I hope the city works with our police and fire. They deserve what they get and more for the things they suffer. As for comments on unions are outdated, I disagree. Any time working people have no say, and they dont without a a union, then they can be railroaded. I hear people say they are getting what everyone else is getting, but one needs to know a the situation before they make up their minds on that. My freind who is an officer said they have not had a raise in four years and then they got a paycut on top of that, and now thier benfeits are being targeted. I want the best paramedic with moarale that is not in the toilet responding to my house if I need him/her. Same with police. We need to take care of the people who take care of us. This city never ceases to amaze me how much lack of respect they afford emergency services. Where I am from they are held in high regard. I hope they can work it out and get this city back on track to fighting crime and not each other.

it's true that police and firefighters more than earn their money and i am very thankful for their service. But as long as these cuts are equal from the top down, then they are congruent with what most of the corporate and private business sector have done for several years now - just ask folks from fedex and other local companies who have already been down this road recently. cuts are a necessary evil during hard times and if they don't come from the collective, then expect the worst for the few - such as layoffs. wouldn't you rather lose 5% then to have your partner/coworker lose their job? IMO -- i don't believe that any unions are needed anymore -- they are a hangover from times when employers abused worker's rights...but the gov't has done more than enough to correct this as proven by the huge number of non-union workers out there that are just fine without big brother. american companies go outside for labor because of this outdated and very costly "union" mindset we still have in america and this must change or we will all be dependent upon gov't provided social welfare programs.

I so hope they leave the police and fire alone. they earn their money, they work so hard, by the time they are old enough to retire, a few years later they are dead. leave them alone.