Unpaid holidays in future for some Dayton workers

Dayton asks police union to make similar concessions.

Staff photo by Teesha McClam Dayton City Manager Rashad Young

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By Joanne Huist Smith, Staff Writer Updated 4:05 AM Friday, July 10, 2009

DAYTON — The city of Dayton’s 454 non union employees, executives and mid level managers will forgo pay on four of 11 holidays.

“Everyone will be taking the unpaid holidays, including me,” Dayton City Manager Rashad Young said.

The holidays are Labor Day, Martin Luther King Day, Good Friday and Memorial Day.

The nearly 1,000 members of the Dayton Public Service Union also agreed to take four days off without pay to help reduce the city’s $6 million deficit for 2009.

One unpaid day must be taken in 2009, with the remainder before May 2010.

DPSU members agreed to accept and non union employees were forced to accept a one-year wage freeze.

Young wants the police union to make similar concessions, a remedy that helps patch the city’s budget gap for this year only.

“We know we’re going to have significant challenges in 2010. Everything is on the table,” he said.

Fraternal Order of Police President Randy Beane said he has talked with the city manager — more than once — offering concessions during confidential negotiations.

“Nothing the city has offered has been acceptable,” Beane said. “Numbers presented to me didn’t add up.”

Young has said that if the police union accepted a wage freeze and came up with cost-saving measures equal to four furlough days, 11 officers slated for layoffs on Aug. 3 would not lose their jobs.

Still, Beane said the FOP won’t sit by idly and watch officers get laid off.

“We’re willing to try to get this resolved,” he said. “We are open to discussion.”

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2362 or josmith@DaytonDaily News.com.

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