Is Ferndale Making a Preemptive Defensive Strike Against the City Unions?

I find it interesting to note that the Ferndale City Council has stated that they have been as transparent as possible during the negotiations between the city and the unions. As a former political consultant who has worked in union negotiations, I have to raise an eyebrow to this statement.

Before the statement was made by Council Member Baker, there was not a public statement made about transparency in the negotiations between the city of Ferndale and the Unions. The political advisor in me has to believe that since this statement was made, it shows that the Ferndale City Council is expecting issues during the negotiations with the unions over the new contracts.

All of the city union contracts are up for negotiations right now. The Ferndale Police Department, Fire Department, and other departments could be looking at extreme cutbacks. Why is it that the Ferndale City Council believes that it has to make a preemptive strike in defending itself before the negotiations even go to arbitration?

Minutes for October 11^th Ferndale City Council Meeting