Gary medical services employees stood Tuesday night in front of City Hall and spoke during a council meeting pleading their case to reverse the layoffs that they expect to face Jan. 1.

SEIU Healthcare Illinois Indiana spokeswoman Sadie Kliner said the union received a letter on Nov. 20 saying two paramedics, eight emergency medical technicians and an advanced emergency medical position would be cut in the upcoming fiscal year.

Kliner said the letter cited budget concerns for the city but it also indirectly attributed the need to cut positions as a response to the state's property tax cap plan.

The union represents more than 40 paramedics and emergency medical technicians who work for the Gary Fire Department's EMS Division.

City spokeswoman LaLosa Burns said there were job cuts proposed in the upcoming fiscal year's budget, but she couldn't confirm if emergency medical service workers were part of the cuts. The city's fiscal year runs from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31.

When Gary City Council President Ronier Scott's office was reached to comment on whether the budget was approved and if the layoffs were finalized, a representative said the request for information would have to be made in writing.

Around 20 people were outside around 5:30 p.m. listening to speakers, including Juanita Golden, who has been an emergency medical technican for four years. Golden said she has three children and the 20 percent salary cut assessed a few months ago is making her financial situation difficult. She said some employees have had their cars repossessed, but the results of losing employees can be even worse.

"We really are concerned that if they make these cuts, it's going to affect emergency response time, patient care and it's going to affect the well-being of the medics," Golden said before the rally.

During the meeting, Golden and another employee were allowed to make comments about how job cuts would affect city services and negatively impact families, Kliner said.

Gary Fire Association Local 359 President Ray Robinson also attended the event to show support for city employees.

"Police aren't the ones that patch up people, medics do," Robinson said. "We can't do our job without them."

Kliner said the union is also calling for more transparency in how the city does business with its unions.

"It's not just with unions but overall the community needs to be kept in the loop when it involves services they're depending on," Kliner said.

Gary resident Bruce Gregory has been a paramedic for 26 years and he supports the move to make city dealings more transparent. He said the city has floated mixed messages about whether it would privatize services, layoff employees and cut salaries as ways to deal with budget issues.

"We haven't gotten information that we've asked for in order to get the city to come up with other options to solve the budget (problem)," Gregory said. "Everything has been last minute."