Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

FALL RIVER, Mass. -- The Fall River Police Patrolman's Association has agreed to an 8-percent pay cut for the fiscal year that started July 1.

The move, approved by the union Thursday and announced by city and union officials Monday, is expected to save Fall River $530,000, Mayor Robert Correia said.

"This was a substantial sharing of the sacrifice," Correia said of the union's vote.

The city is asking all city workers -- union and nonunion -- to agree to the pay cut to avert more layoffs, Correia said.

The $2.1 million in concessions were included in the fiscal 2010 budget, he said. So far, the city has secured $1.1 million, which includes the latest $530,000 from the police union as well as concessions from the American Federal of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Teamsters Local 251, which represents 60 public works employees, and Labor Advantage Workers (LAW) Local 124, which represents nurses and custodians

"So, unless we get the 8-percent reductions," Correia said, "there will be layoffs in the unions that haven't shared the sacrifice."

He said the city has imposed no deadline for the unions to accept the pay cut. Negotiations continue, he said.

Fifty-eight of the city's 63 nonunion employees have agreed to the pay cut, said Inês da Silva Paulino Leite, the mayor's spokeswoman.

 Tags  economy Fall River Mass. lay offs pay cuts

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