Detroit council approves furlough days for non-union workers - My29 WFTC Minneapolis-St. Paul

By Alexis Wiley
Fox 2 News

DETROIT (WJBK) -- Detroit's non-union employees will have to take a ten percent pay cut in the form of furlough days -- one every two weeks.

"There are two no votes and four yes votes," City Council President Charles Pugh announced after the body voted on the measure Friday.

That pay cut is in addition to previous cuts and increased healthcare costs.  The move may cost employees, but it will save the city millions of dollars if union workers agree to do the same.

However, Ed McNeil with AFSCME says that's a move he's not willing to make.

"They continue to gut not only the unionized employees, but the non-unionized employees to pay for the consultants that they continue to mandate that the city of Detroit used," he said.

Mayor Bing released a statement saying the savings will go back into the city's general fund, but union leaders like McNeil are sticking to their guns and won't be budging anytime soon.

"I talked about $800 million that's owed to the city of Detroit by these individuals who have not paid their fair share.  Yet we do not go out and get their money.  What we do is say to employees you need to take another cut.  Let's get the big folks who got the money, who we know who got the money, and make them pay their fair share and get off the backs of the workers," said McNeil.