City Mulls Cop, Firefighter Furloughs

By ANDREW GREINER and MARY ANN AHEARN

Updated 10:38 AM CST, Thu, Oct 29, 2009

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NBC Chicago

One of the more controversial pieces of Mayor Daley’s 2010 budget is the requirement for all city workers to take 24 unpaid furlough days.

The only city workers who have been spared from what amounts to an entire month off without pay are the city’s police and firefighters. But that could change.

A representative for the city budget office says the city is in negotiations with police and fire unions to accept furlough days.

It would mark the first time in Chicago that police and firefighters were forced to go without work.

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The idea has caught the attention of more than a few city aldermen.

"I'm getting calls from residents in my ward who work for the city and can't pay their mortgage,” Alderman Ray Suarez said. “Why can't police and fire also join in on the furlough days?"

"We have stayed away from police and fire all of these years," Alderman Ed Smith said. "But we are in a position now where, I believe, that everybody should put in some skin in this game."

Chicago isn’t the first city to contemplate the idea. Los Angeles, Milwaukee, the state of New Jersey, Cincinnati and Baltimore are just a few of the locales that have considered cutting services like fire and rescue and police to plug holes in the budget.

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First Published: Oct 28, 2009 1:32 PM CST

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0 Comments

{"totSize":45,"payload_type":"json","status":"1","results":[{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"388834_66989302","adminTags":null,"views":1645,"createdBy":10630782,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"City Mulls Cop, Firefighter Furloughs","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2584390,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"28 Oct 2009 22:18:46 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":5,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"Ziggyman","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1147810","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"Keep the real hero's of Chicago on the payroll, that would be the PD & FD. Fire all the politicians. Just what do they do for the money they make? And some one please kidnap Stroger, gag him, and put him in a crate, and ship him via UPS to Pago Pago. This idiot is the most worthless political do nothing about anything Crook County has ever seen. Wake up people, we need to make sure idiots like the ones in office now, never get elected again. We're the ones that suffer, and we sure have."},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"388834_66989302","adminTags":null,"views":1645,"createdBy":7918844,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"City Mulls Cop, Firefighter Furloughs","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2584390,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"29 Oct 2009 00:24:19 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":5,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"anonymous_user","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1148412","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"THE MAYOR IS QUICK TO GIVE FURLOUGH TO THE WORKING PEOPLE. ALDERMAN'S AND THE HIS OFFICE PEOPLE SHOULD ALSO TAKE A FURLOUGH. WANT TO CUT COST? WE DON'T NEED SO MANY ALDERMAN'S. IS THE MAYOR AND HIS BUDDY'S GOING TO OUR RESCUE WHEN WE CALL 911. OR IS OUR 911 OPERATOR'S GOING TO BE OFF? WE'LL HAVE TO WAITING FOR AN AVAILABLE OPERATOR. COOK COUNTY IS ON THE SAME S@# LIST. "},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"388834_66989302","adminTags":null,"views":1645,"createdBy":7918844,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"City Mulls Cop, Firefighter Furloughs","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2584390,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"29 Oct 2009 00:54:02 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":5,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"anonymous_user","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1148533","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"The Mayor has already taken a swipe at the number of Police Officers this city has. In 2009, this guy only allowed 47 officers to be hired. The CPD annualloss to retirement and death or quiting is well over 300 officers a year. Rememebr the 40 million dollars lost from Hired Truck. The Duff Family, his nephews investment firm, ect. Look t how long it takes to have a Police Officer respond to your complaint. There is lots of fat to be trimmed, no dout. Are most citizens aware the police department has a Faith Based Police Unit attached to Vance Henry's CAPS office? How much did the "gun turn in' cost? Before the Police or Fire Department takes 1 furlough day, the Mayor needs to cut every single parade, and fest that cost the city money to run, not just Venitian night. Cut Columbus Day, St. Patricks, Bud Buillikian, Blues Fest, Jazz, fest, The Waste of Chicago. The CPD is dangerously under staffed. 1 man beat cars all over the city. Kids, beating kids to death, and you think this is a good idea to have even LESS Police on the Street? Richard Francis would be alive today, IF he had a partner that fatefull summer night. Cut your 20 Man detail Mr. Mayor with each PO getting Sergeants pay. Cut Ald. Burks detail as well. I've been shot at, kicked, spit on, and almost killed. I'be had 3 cars knocked right out from under me and this is what you say? I've bled for this city. Have you? "},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"388834_66989302","adminTags":null,"views":1645,"createdBy":7918844,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"City Mulls Cop, Firefighter Furloughs","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2584390,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"29 Oct 2009 00:59:00 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":5,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"anonymous_user","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1148553","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"Are you people aware in 2008 the Aldermen voted their OWN pay raises? 6% raise, 98,000 a year with 1.2 million in each alderthiefs discreactionary fund that they can spend as they please. Oh, they also voted their staff a 5% raise as well. <br><br>LETS SAVE 25 MILLION RIGHT KNOW AND CUT THE NUMBER OF ALDERTHIEFS TO 25!"},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"388834_66989302","adminTags":null,"views":1645,"createdBy":7918844,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"City Mulls Cop, Firefighter Furloughs","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2584390,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"29 Oct 2009 12:53:29 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":5,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"anonymous_user","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1150327","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"Before we get rid of police and fire, please please please get rid of the Alderman. What do they do? The A for my district has yet to accomplish anything substantial. How dare they take pay increases yet suggest where costs can be cut elsewhere. "}],"error":"","totPages":9}