County staff may be asked to take unpaid leave

Officials await return of County Council to unveil plan to save money

Initially, labor unions were asked to renegotiate contracts to save money, but when negotiations fell flat last month, rumors began to circulate of a plan requiring government employees to take at least a week of unpaid leave this year.

"We probably won't be commenting on it until it goes forward," said John Erzen, spokesman for County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D), who said the exact terms could change. "Nothing is carved in stone just yet."

Details of the financial plan to balance the budget will not be made public until September when the County Council resumes after its August recess. However, several union and county officials said the county is considering asking workers to take between 55 and 88 hours of unpaid time over the fiscal year.

Ever since the budget gap was announced in late June, officials have said unpaid leave, or furloughs, could be used to cut personnel costs, followed by lay-offs as a last resort.

"We have said that [furloughs] would be a possibility," said Erzen, who was unable to estimate how much furloughs could save the county in costs.

The move comes after talks between the county and unions representing about 5,500 firefighters, police and other government employees stalled two weeks ago. County officials had first asked the unions to forego a portion of promised raises for the year in order to save about $14 million.

In the latest two-year contracts, workers had been promised annual raises between 2.5 to 3.5 percent to cover the increased cost of living, as well as additional raises based on individual performance.

Union officials rejected the proposals, which they said went against long-promised contracts they negotiated with the county. Union members have said the county could make up the shortfall by cutting other costs or dipping into its reserves, but that county officials were unwilling.

"Once we all sat down, we all came to the conclusion that we couldn't reach an agreement pretty quick," said Vincent Canales, president of the county's Fraternal Order of Police that represents about 1,200 police officers.

Relations between the two sides were strained before talks began. It took more than two years for the county and unions to hammer out the current labor contracts, which were passed this spring more than a year behind schedule.

On July 14, county administrative officer Jacqueline Brown sent a memo to workers freezing all raises until the talks concluded. Unions protested the move, filing formal letters of grievance.

"Your county's workers help run your county," said Wanda Shelton-Martin, spokeswoman for the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, which represents about 2,900 workers in several county departments. "They haven't even asked for our suggestions. All they have done is attack our workers."

AFSCME filed a grievance shortly after the freeze was imposed. FOP and others threatened to do the same, but held off.

Though she did not mention the talks with labor, Brown wrote in another memo to employees Aug. 1 that the county would pay the raises outlined in labor contracts, now that "a revised 2009 financial plan has been developed."

Brown did not return calls for comment.

The shortfall was announced days before the fiscal year began on July 1. County officials said that lagging real estate sales were projected to cost Prince George's County about $48 million for the year in lost transfer and recordation fees that normally come from home sales.

E-mail Daniel Valentine at dvalentine@gazette.net.