Mayor Rahm Emanuel today revealed that he's offered City Hall labor unions a choice: Agree to $20 million in savings through work-rule changes or face 625 layoffs.
"If you don't, that will be the choice left to me on behalf of the taxpayers," Emanuel said at a news conference to announce Walgreens will add 600 jobs in Chicago over the next two years.
Labor leaders will take 10 days to two weeks to put together their own package of proposed cuts, the mayor said. He would not say whether he will issue the layoff notices in the meantime. "I'm not just going to sit here and wait. I'll make certain decisions," he said.
Emanuel is looking for ways to fill a $30 million budget hole left behind by his predecessor, Richard Daley. The former mayor's final budget was contingent on unions agreeing to continue earlier concessions beyond a Thursday deadline. But Daley did not negotiate that extension before leaving office last month.
Emanuel today said he showed labor leaders about $20 million in savings through work rule changes and workplace efficiencies to make up for the lapsing unpaid days off for union workers.
Emanuel said he has also identified 625 unionized city workers to be laid off if the unions don't agree to the work rule changes.
The work rule changes are the same rules that unions have agreed to in some unionized private sector businesses, he said.
Emanuel also said he has identified other ways to get to the full $30 million in savings without layoffs, but did not specify them.
"If we do this, I don't have to lay off 625 people," Emanuel said.
"I need them to be a partner in this," he said of the unions
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