Two Unions Hold Out On Daley As Deadline Approaches

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Jul 14, 2009 2:40PM

While one of three unions that have been holding out on a labor deal with Mayor Daley has agreed to terms with the Mayor, two others are still not budging as Daley's self-imposed midnight deadline approaches tonight. Laborers Local 1001 recently reached an agreement with the Mayor, leaving just the Teamsters and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) as the lone hold-outs, according to the Tribune's Clout Street. Daley has been threatening to lay off as many as 1,500 workers if the city's unions didn't reach a deal with him that included concessions and unpaid holidays. The city claims deals reached with other unions have saved 800 jobs and that if the two hold-out unions don't come to an agreement, around 700 jobs from those two groups will be cut.

Meanwhile, Henry Bayer, the executive director of AFSCME Council 31, released a statement yesterday afternoon, saying:

"Despite the mayor’s claims to the contrary, his staff has refused--including as recently as a few hours ago--to meet with the union to discuss any alternative to layoffs since AFSCME members voted overwhelmingly to reject the Mayor’s initial demand that they take 46 unpaid days over the next two years, equal to a 10 percent pay cut."

The unions and the city last negotiated a 10-year deal in 2007, but the city is trying to save money in the face of a huge budget gap by renegotiating a two-year deal that would last through mid-2011 which, as has been pointed out in the past, would conveniently carry City Hall through the 2011 mayoral and aldermanic elections.