Deal reached on wage freeze (my job)

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.omaha.com/article/20090813/NEWS01/708139897

By Maggie O'Brien
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
« Metro/Region

The head of the city's largest civilian employees union said Wednesday he has reached a tentative agreement with Mayor Jim Suttle to freeze wages to help ease city budget problems.

Kevin Brown, president of Omaha City Employees Local 251, said the freeze isn't a done deal. Now it's up to union members, who are set to vote on the proposal Wednesday.

“We are very happy with the progress that we're making,” said Ron Gerard, a spokesman for the mayor. “This is what we've been after for a very long time. We appreciate the efforts of the union representatives.”

The tentative wage freeze comes less than a week after Suttle announced that the city would lay off 130 civilian employees by Sept. 6.
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Local 251 represents about 600 workers. Brown said nearly 400 are expected to vote on the freeze proposal.

The mayor has been trying to negotiate wage freezes with civilian, police and fire unions for 2009 and 2010. Suttle has said two years without pay raises would save the city about $10 million.

FULL story at link.

[Sherman A1]

1. First question that comes to mind, is.....

Will the Mayor & City Council be taking a similar pay freeze? Will theirs last for the same duration as the one that the employees have been asked to accept?

Everyone understands that times are tough and there will be pain, but that pain needs to be shared by all, not just placed on the worker bees.

Had to live through wage freezes and concessions in the 1980's (Reagan Era) and odd how it seemed the bosses did pretty good in that time.