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Overall, hundreds of city workers will be sacked to allegedly save millions of dollars. In fact, costs will be increased, not cut, making Chicagoans pay for privatized services public workers can do as well cheaper.
According to American Federation of State, County and Municipal (AFSCME) Council 31 executive director Henry Bayer:
"Mayor Emanuel's announced intention to lay off 625 employees will diminish the availability and quality of city services on which Chicago residents depend. It will also" increase already high city unemployment.
"We are surprised and disappointed at (his) scattershot approach to the city's budget shortfall. We are paricularly disappointed that most of his bullets are aimed at frontline employees who do the real work of city government."
"Contrary to (his) claim, neither he nor his representatives have ever made any attempt to meet with our union to negotiate changes to work rules....If the mayor were serious about (instituting positive changes), he would have taken the appropriate measures to engage in such discussions." Not doing so shows "blaming union work rules for (Chicago's) massive deficit is mere public relations gimmickry."
"In that spirit, we call on the Mayor to rescind his layoff threat and work collaboratively to reduce costs while protecting city services and jobs."
In fact, AFSCME, CTU, and other city union bosses collaborate with city management, furthering their own interests over rank-and-file members they pretend to represent. As a result, Bayer's statement rings hollow, common practice to make workers think he's on their side when, in fact, he and other union heads fall short.
In Chicago, Illinois and across America, government and corrupted union bosses collaborate against workers, agreeing on wage freezes, benefit cuts, and layoffs, making already dire conditions worse.
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