D.C. Mayor Vince Gray is pressing forward with his plan to furlough city workers for four days this year in an effort to save the District $19 million. Gray will introduce emergency legislation on Tuesday that will finalize details of a furlough plan the council approved last month as it closed a $188 million budget gap. Falling revenues and overspending by city agencies have caused District officials to make deep cuts to city services. Gray’s furlough plan was designed to reduce some of those cuts.
The furloughs for city workers will take place on holidays when they would not be coming to work anyway. On Wednesday, Gray reminded the council during a breakfast meeting that the first of those days, President’s Day (Feb. 21), is fast-approaching. The legislation the council will likely pass on Tuesday will also furlough city workers on Emancipation Day, Memorial Day and Independence Day. Labor Day will be held in reserve if further cuts are needed, Gray said.
During the pay periods when workers will be furloughed, they’ll see their paychecks drop by about 10 percent.
| Furlough days |
| As proposed by D.C. Mayor Vince Gray: |
| > President’s Day (Feb. 21), Emancipation Day (April 16), Memorial Day (May 30) and Independence Day (July 4) |
Meanwhile, the furlough does not apply to all city workers. The police and fire departments, along with independent agencies such as the housing authority, the convention center, and the water and sewer authorities, are all exempt. Child and family services employees are also exempt because of a 20-year-old court order protecting them from furloughs, Gray said.
Although city teachers’ contract requires that they be paid, the requirement only holds true for “teaching days.” Because schools are closed on days the furloughs applies to, teachers will also see their pay cut.
