City Workers Raked In Beaucoup Overtime in Q1 2K11

By Chuck Sudo in News on Jul 13, 2011 9:00PM

The news that up to 460 city employees earned over $10,000 in overtime pay in the first four months of 2011 will only serve as further ammunition for Mayor Emanuel to demand work-rule changes from labor unions in order to avoid a $30 million hole in the second half of the city budget.

Even though Emanuel is talking tough to labor, implementing these cuts may be hard to accomplish. Chicago News Co-Op notes that all those drivers and other seeming layabouts on work crews and at construction sites are actually doing what is specified in their job descriptions. Emanuel is further tethered to the long-term contracts Richard Daley negotiated with labor four years ago, although there is language that does appear to give Emanuel an out to reopen the contracts next year.

The problem there is that Chicago is facing a $700 million deficit now that could expand by at least $30 million if labor doesn't agree to the work-rule changes laid out by Emanuel

Emanuel's deadline to city labor unions to come up with their own $20 million in work rule changes, or to accept the changes he's pinpointed, is Friday.