Prince George’s County Executive Jack Johnson wants to put county employees on two weeks of unpaid leave and strip millions from school budgets to balance a projected $57 million budget deficit. The furloughs would affect 5,900 workers, from police officers to the executive’s senior staff to trash collectors, and would save the county $20 million.
“It will be done in such a way as to have no negative impact to county services,” said Johnson spokesman John Erzen, declining to provide details. The school system has been looking for ways to implement a proposed $14 million in cuts for about a month, said district spokesman John White, though no decisions have been made.
“The simple answer is that anything outside the classroom is subject for consideration,” White said. The news came as a surprise to union leaders, said Glen Middleton, executive director of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Council 67, representing more than 2,000 affected employees in the county.
“We think it’s ridiculous, crazy, absurd that he would consider doing this,” Middleton said, accusing Johnson of “dictatorial” bargaining for not revealing expected surpluses or amounts held in reserve funds.
“We knew in August of last year there were problems with the housing market,” Middleton said. “If they knew it then, why did they sit down and approve the original contracts?”
The original deals, approved last spring, granted an average salary increase of 7.5 percent, Erzen said, explaining that even with the furloughs, employees will earn an average or 2 percent more this year than last. “What was announced today should not have come as a surprise to the unions,” Erzen said.
“Even when we originally negotiated, we let them know there was a possibility things could get worse.” Indeed, things have gotten worse as the county has continually led the state in home foreclosures, resulting in steep declines to county revenue.
“Under the current economic conditions, with gas and food prices soaring, it’s wrong to take away from these workers,” Middleton said. The County Council will meet in Upper Marlboro on Tuesday morning to vote on the executive’s proposal.
“It has not been a pleasant day,” Erzen said.
