City union members vote to participate in furlough plan for 2010
10-day furloughs will reduce number of layoffs required

SEATTLE – Members of 14 Coalition of City Unions have voted to participate in a 10-day furlough program that will reduce the number of layoffs required in 2010. The city will extend the same program to nonrepresented city employees.

“I want to thank the Coalition of City Unions and its members for their cooperation and willingness to work with us over the past several months. Together, we have had a strong, productive relationship and this is an exceptional example of our employees and unions stepping up in tough economic times,” said Mayor Greg Nickels.

Approximately 6,350 workers, including union members who ratified the proposal this week and nonrepresented employees, will take 10 furlough days spread across the year. The furlough plan will save approximately $7.5 million from the general fund and help preserve services for city residents by reducing the number of city employees who would be laid off in 2010.

“The city of Seattle is not immune from the difficult economic times. Through a democratic process, members voted to accept the city’s furlough proposal. It was a difficult decision. In the end, they voted to save jobs,” said Adrienne Thompson, union representative for the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers Local 17.

Furlough schedules will be assigned so that most city services will remain open to the public. Some exceptions to the furloughs will be allowed, such as for employees whose departments have minimum staffing and operational requirements, and for employees earning less than $18 an hour. Four unions representing about 350 employees did not ratify the furlough program, which may result in a higher number of layoffs in those areas of city government. The mayor has already announced that senior managers, whose salaries were rolled back last year, will continue to have their wages frozen at 2008 levels in 2010.

Nickels delivers his 2010 proposed budget to the City Council on Sept. 25, 2009. The most recent economic forecast projects a $72 million revenue shortfall in the city’s 2009-2010 biennial budget. In addition to the savings from the furlough program, the city has built up a rainy day fund with up to $30.6 million available. Earlier this month, Nickels said he remains committed to addressing the revenue shortfall without impacting direct human services and public safety programs. Uniformed police and fire personnel, and employees represented by IBEW 77 are not part of the furlough program. However, uniformed fire personnel will receive no wage increases in 2010.

The impacts of any proposed cuts will be smaller than they might have been because the mayor acted early in 2009, taking midyear budget action by cutting $13.3 million in general fund expenses. Many of those 2009 reductions will carry over to 2010, reducing the effect of declining revenues. In 2009, the mayor eliminated 59 positions citywide, about half of which were vacant. The mayor also instituted furloughs for professional staff in several departments and Seattle Public Libraries will take a one-week furlough, Aug. 31 through Sept. 7.

Get the Nickels Newsletter and the mayor's inside view on transportation, public safety, economic opportunity and healthy communities at mayor.seattle.gov

###

Office of the Mayor