South Bend city employees are being asked to voluntarily switch to a four-day work week and forfeit 20 percent of their holiday pay, vacation and sick time next year to help ease the city's budget crisis. (WSBT file photo)
Story Created:
Aug 6, 2009 at 4:26 PM EDT
Story Updated:
Aug 10, 2009 at 11:07 AM EDT
SOUTH BEND — In another effort to save money, the city is asking some employees to voluntarily cut back on the number of hours they work. South Bend’s human resources department wrote the letter nearly two weeks ago. But some employees are just now getting it.
The memo is addressed to all full-time civilian employees. It asks them to switch to a voluntary four-day work week and forfeit 20 percent of their holiday pay, vacation and sick time next year to help ease the city's budget crisis.
“It's part of that cost savings to balance our budget,” explained South Bend Mayor Steve Luecke.
But for most city employees, the letter's requests aren’t an option.
“I’m raising five kids on my own,” said Deb Martin, who works for the city. “I don't think so.”
“You can’t afford it,” Laura Raygosa told WSBT News. “You can’t afford to live on a 32-hour work week.”
Mayor Luecke said about 15 code enforcement employees already volunteered to take the short week.
All department heads and division managers took a five percent pay cut — including Luecke himself and nearly all the employees in his office.
South Bend had a projected 2010 budget deficit of about $20 million because of property tax caps. Three weeks ago, both the county and city councils passed a local option income tax that should reduce it to $6 million or $8 million.
“As we said from the start, we weren't going to ask for all the money to be replaced. We know that the citizens, our businesses, still think we need to streamline local government,” Luecke said.
City employees in unions were exempt from the letters — including South Bend police officers and firefighters. But Local 362 South Bend Firefighters union member Todd Skwarcan told WSBT that doesn’t mean they’re off the chopping block.
“I don’t feel like we’re safe now at all,” he said.
The city already lost eight firefighters through attrition.
“The most important thing for us is to maintain our staffing,” Skwarcan said. “That we don’t lose any active firefighters right now."
But Mayor Luecke said he cannot guarantee cuts in any department are done.
He expects about 25 city employees to take the voluntary cut. He doesn't think the city will have to make the four-day work week or furloughs mandatory.
