Chicago’s City Council today approved a measure to help the city balance its out-of-whack budget. The measure calls for six mandatory unpaid days off for city employees through the end of next year.
Six mandatory unpaid days off for city employees through the end of next year. That’s just the beginning of proposals that the city council is considering to balance its $420-million budget shortfall. The idea of making people take days off has gone through a lot of debate outside council chambers, but today, it passed without a peep from aldermen.
DEL VALLE: There are 45 ayes and zero nays. The resolution is passed.
Mayor Richard Daley says governments across the country are feeling the economic pinch, just like the private sector.
DALEY: Oh, I think everybody’s in the same boat. Everybody’s in the same boat in this economy. No one is, no one is outside, no one is outside the boat. Everybody’s in the boat.
A spokesperson for the city’s budget department says the days off should save the city about $13-million.
Daley also today backed off past claims that he would not consider easing the shortfall by dipping into the $500-million the city made from privatizing the Chicago Skyway.