Preckwinkle says layoff notices are starting to go out

Preckwinkle says layoff notices are starting to go out

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Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said on Tuesday that the county is starting to send out its layoff notices.

Around 100 people in the president’s office received pink slips Monday as part of the first round of layoffs. A spokesperson said no more notices were sent out Tuesday, but that the president is planning to cut another 180 people from the office. Preckwinkle has proposed more than 1,000 layoffs total to help plug a $315 million budget gap.

“We’ve balanced the budget. The question is how many layoffs there are going to be,” said Preckwinkle. “The proposal on the table is a little more than 1,000 layoffs. We can cut that number almost in half.”

Preckwinkle has said there could be fewer layoffs if unions agree to seven unpaid vacation and shut down days.