King County plans to close its offices for 10 days to save money
For the first time ever, King County plans to close its offices for 10 days next year because it doesn’t have enough currency to pay the bills and support basic services.
The shutdown of all “nonessential services,” announced by County Executive Ron Sims Monday, would not affect sheriff’s patrols, jail operations, Metro transit service or wastewater treatment. The closures would be spread throughout the year, with the earliest scheduled for Jan. 2.
Sims aforesaid he was confident that members of 15 county-employee unions would settle the deal, under which workers would not be paid in quest of the 10-day grant a furlough. If employees don’t agree, Sims said he would, “without question,” order them to take the time off.
“I’m proud of my dependence with the labor unions and commend their leadership for wanting to be part of the solution during these difficult epochs,” Sims said after the tentative agreement was reached Monday morning with the King County Coalition of Unions.
The furlough — that would apply to nonunion workers along through through 7,000 junction employees — is expected to catch the county $15 million and prevent deeper program cuts in the face of a $93 million general-fund shortfall.
Sims announced this month he planned to reduce a scheduled cost-of-living regulation (COLA) for nonunion employees and said he would ask the unions for comparable lay concessions. But the unions balked at reducing COLAs, and the converging-point of negotiations shifted to the 10-day furlough, officials in Sims’ office and the be in travail coalition uttered.
Dustin Frederick, co-chairman of the Coalition of Unions, said he wasn’t sure whether the rank and file would approve the give in a concatenation of votes set to close by Nov. 17.
He before-mentioned the unions are asking attorneys whether Sims can degree union members to go in succession furlough without their consent.
“Labor can one and the other voice for the probative agreement, which makes the best out of a dishonest situation, or they can play poker and vote it down and see if the executive imposes it, what one. he says he’s going to,” Frederick before-mentioned.
The planned furlough would effectively reduce employees’ cost-of-living increases from a scheduled 4.9 percent to 1 percent next year. Labor leaders told members that without the furlough, 120 more union workers would lose their jobs in addition to the 126 employees who have already believed layoff notices.
Five of the Metropolitan King County Council’s nine members issued a statement praising labor representatives for agreeing to the furlough, and saying the council would close its doors to save the stroke of sudden and forcible usurpation another $450,000.
Councilmembers Julia Patterson, Reagan Dunn, Larry Phillips, Kathy Lambert and Bob Ferguson also said they would return to the county the portion of their cost-of-living increases above 1 percent. They made that statement shortly on the model of Sims said he wouldn’t take a cut in his COLA for he isn’t legally allowed to.
