It’s not like she’s going to need Kevlar, but Miami-Dade County Human Resources Director Arlene Cuellar might want to bring some extra chutzpah 
and a sense of humor to work today: She’s going to meet this morning with the bargaining unit at the PBA, which has what can only be described as pretty hostile relations with the county administration.
Cuellar has one thing in her favor: She replaces Tyrone Williams, who the PBA objected to because he had worked for them more than 10 years ago as their lead negotiator. In other words, he knew their secrets and negotiating tactics. They didn’t think it was fair.
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos “Cry Wolf” Gimenez agreed to change the lead negotiator in what appears a show of good faith on the heels of various other union agreements reached last month.
Read related story: Miami-Dade’s big union, Carlos Gimenez reach agreement
Gimenez won’t be at the meeting this morning. His spokesman Michael Hernandez could not tell me what was on the table.
“That will be discussed tomorrow between the parties,” he answered in an email.
What are the consequences if they do not reach an agreement? “Potential scenarios will be discussed tomorrow,” he wrote.
After threatening somewhere around 400 layoffs in the police department — which shrank to 260, then 180, then 110, then 75 and then nada — the mayor told commissioners last month that he had found a solution and that police positions had been saved through a number of measures, including the restructuring of some debt (more on that later).
Read related story: Did Mayor Carlos Gimenez lie? Police layoffs after all
Last week, however, three civilian police department employees received layoff notices much to their surprise. The employees are all union bargaining members and PBA President John Rivera characterized the move as retaliation and further evidence of the mayor’s strong arm “my way or the highway” tactics.
That may be one of the first things they have to address but Hernandez told Ladra this week that the county was trying to find spots for the laid off employees in the Communications and Information Office, especially since they were all from the Police video and TV department.
Fight! PBA and county meet today to discuss contract added by Ladra on
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