Mayor: TPPA's Wagner an 'actor'

DOWNTOWN TOLEDO - In a media release Thursday afternoon, Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner called Dan Wagner, Toledo Police Patrolman's Association union president, an "actor" and that he "misled" the media and its residents in the belief there was a "gentleman's agreement" between the city and the union in halting Friday's mass police layoffs.

"On Tuesday evening, a meeting between representatives of the City and the TPPA took place, during which three major issues were discussed," Mayor Finkbeiner said in the media relese statement.

"The TPPA offered to rollback the City’s paying of the employees’ share of their pension contribution for 12 months in exchange for the City’s promise there would be no Police layoffs this summer. In addition, the City would give an extra five weeks off with pay to each TPPA member during the next 12 months."

"The City does not feel that to be a fair exchange, and it doesn’t come close to balancing the City’s $21 million budget deficit."

"That took place in an informal, off the record, discussion Tuesday evening. There was no agreement or papers signed. Mr. Wagner was told that the discussed points would be reviewed with Finance and then would require approval of the Mayor and City Council."

"For the better part of the year, TPPA President Dan Wagner, has irresponsibly mischaracterized the labor negotiations between the City and TPPA. The City simply cannot trust Mr. Wagner to abide by long held labor guidelines - that participants should keep conversations confidential and negotiate a contract behind closed doors - not in the media. Mr. Wagner is an actor and loves the stage-and is accomplishing little for his fellow union members by so betraying this historic labor-management guidepost."

"The City has great respect for the Toledo Police men and women - and their union, TPPA. But it is time Mr. Wagner stopped seeking publicity - and began working thoughtfully and intelligently - to get a contract with the City."

"The City looks forward to hopefully concluding discussions with TPPA - and other unions - but not in the way Mr. Wagner is conducting himself. If he had done otherwise, this statement would not have been necessary.”

"We don't have confidence in him as a mayor to run the city," Wagner said Thursday evening. "We can only hope in November Take Back Toledo gets him out of office."

In light of Mr. Finkbeiner's refusal to acknowledge the "gentleman's agreement," Councilman D. Michael Collins called his fellow council members to support him in a vote of no confidence in the mayor.

But in the past 24 hours Councilman Collins said two council members backed off and he was forced to cancel the meeting.

Meanwhile, Wagner said he has no intentions of going back to the bargaining table with the city.

“These are people's lives he is messing with. We stepped forward. We did what was right. Yet he's doing the wrong thing," said Wagner.

Wagner responded to the mayor’s statement regarding the canceled agreement with the union by talking to the union membership. He said the TPPA, as a whole, feels they offered the city many more concessions than should have been expected.

"When they saw the agreement they were in disbelief because of the cuts, said Wagner. “But with the cuts the mayor wasn't going to stop the layoffs. They know it’s the mayor attempting to break the union."

(FOX Toledo's Heather Miller contributed to this report)