In the Michigan town of Allen Park, the city took its first steps towards firing its entire fire department.
A clause in the fire fighters’ contracts requires 30-day notice of termination, so the city issued notices to everyone in the department. The department’s 25 employees, from Chief down the ranks, all face termination.
The potential cuts come even after workers made concessions last year, imposing limits on promotions, overtime, and eliminating raises.
The question of how the city will continue to provide fire services remain unanswered, and that has some residents nervous.
The cuts are part of a solution to fill a $600,000 gap in this year’s budget that totals $22 million.
From the Detroit News:
The city’s finance director said today that Allen Park must lay off 25 to 30 employees by June to avoid a $600,000 deficit for the current fiscal year.
Tim McCurley said in an interview that the city sent layoff notices to everyone in the fire department to comply with a clause in the firefighters’ union contract requiring a 30-day notice. He said some or all of the firefighters could lose their jobs, and that the police department faces layoffs too.
“It’s a major disruption to our police and fire service than what our residents are used to,” he said.
According to McCurley, city officials are discussing several options on how to provide fire protection but have not settled on a plan. He referred further questions in that area to City Administrator Eric C. Waidelich, who did not return phone calls this afternoon.
Read the full article here.