PORT ST. LUCIE — Offering the unions a “final” opportunity to save eight police officer jobs and avoid other layoffs, the city agreed to guarantee no layoffs next year in exchange for a wage freeze.

But the Coastal Florida Public Employees Association, which represents the city’s civilian employees, voted Monday night to reject the city’s offer, said union acting Executive Director Johnny Bingham. The city’s other two unions, the Florida Police Benevolent Association, which represents lieutenants and sergeants, and the International Union of Police Associations, which represents police officers, have not come to an agreement.

Bingham said the Police Benevolent Association, which he also directs, was sending a letter to the city Wednesday advising officials they are interested in coming back to the table to negotiate.

Dan Burdett, a representative from the public employees union, told officials at an Aug. 24 council meeting that employees work hard for their money and just want a “fair shake.” He said it’s difficult for employees to give up their pay increases when they see some employees making six-figure salaries and getting car allowances.

“We’re one of the lowest paid in the area,” Burdett said. “You go to Martin County, you go to Stuart, they are paid more than we are. It is so lopsided in what people make in this city, it’s crazy. These guys out here, 100 degree weather, digging ditches, getting $14 an hour, they can’t support their families. They can’t give up any more than they give up now.”

Meanwhile, the union representing the eight police officers scheduled to be laid off sent a counterproposal to the city agreeing to the wage freeze with conditions, including requiring the city to fill vacant positions lost through attrition, extending the city’s offer for an additional year, implementing all wage increases in 2010 that were frozen and no layoffs of union employees in 2011. Matthew Mierzwa Jr., the attorney representing the International Union of Police Associations, said the city has refused to discuss why it has a financial problem. He said it’s difficult for the union to accept a wage freeze when it sees the city has $8 million sitting in its general fund reserves.

Assistant City Attorney Milton Collins said the city rejected Mierzwa’s counterproposal Wednesday.

“Our quid pro quo was quite simple,” Collins said. “Attaching other things is really not something we’re considering at this time.”

Collins said the city would guarantee no layoffs next year as long as union employees agreed to forgo their scheduled wage increases between this month and Sept. 30 of next year. The layoffs include 22 positions, eight of which are police officers. Milton said the city began negotiating with the unions in February.

About 1,000 of the city’s 1,150 employees are represented by unions, said Human Resources Director Tammy Williamson.

To help offset a more than $12 million budget deficit, the city cut 117 positions this year. Budget Director Dave Pollard said the 22 positions out of the 117 were the last to be eliminated, as the city already cut the other positions earlier this year.

Williamson said her department already sent out notices to the 22 employees advising them their last day of employment would be Sept. 30. She said she’s already received several requests from recipients of those notices who are interested in bumping employees out of other positions. Williamson said union employees can take positions away from people who are lower in seniority.

“So, we’re going to have basically musical chairs going on around here for a long time,” Williamson said.

City Councilwoman Michelle Berger said she was saddened by a lack of an agreement at this point.

“I think everyone is assuming there’s a trick up our sleeves that we’re looking to pull out,” Berger said. “That’s just not true. It’s in their hands. They get to make the choice on whether to save their employees their jobs, and it’s sad to see that they are not.”

Alexi Howk

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