My union just voted 4 a 2 year pay freeze (NOW they tell us 2 weeks furloughs by OS)

The Omaha City employees in my local voted 145 to 110 to accept a 2 year pay freeze. Voting was split into to sessions. Over the lunch hour the news broke about the proposed furloughs. The after session had a lot of pissed off people voting.

http://www.omaha.com/article/20090819/NEWS01/908199991

Council members call for furloughs

By Tom Shaw and Maggie O'Brien
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITERS

Published Wednesday August 19, 2009

Calling tax increases a last resort, five Omaha City Council members today announced a plan to cut nearly $11.7 million from next year's city budget.

The biggest part of their plan is a two-week furlough for all city employees, including police and fire employees. The council members said the furloughs would save the city an estimated $7.8 million next year.

The plan comes the day after the council shot down Mayor Jim Suttle's proposed entertainment tax on a 6-1 vote. Councilman Ben Gray was the sole member voting for the tax.

Announcing the new proposed cuts were Council members Pete Festersen, Garry Gernandt, Chuck Sigerson, Jean Stothert and Franklin Thompson. They said the furlough would allow the city to spread the pain of budget cuts to all departments. “This is truly a joint effort,” Festersen said.

The five said the furloughs and other cuts also would provide enough money to reopen the Florence library and to restore pool hours, operation of the police helicopter unit in 2010 and funding for several nonprofit organizations.

The furloughs would need to be negotiated with the public safety unions and the other employee unions. The council members urged Suttle to negotiate the furloughs with the unions.

Suttle said today he would listen to the council's ideas for addressing budget problems, noting the furlough would require union approval.
“We have said all along that we are going to be open-minded on this,” Suttle said.

FULL story at link.