New York City’s beleaguered mayor, Bill de Blasio (D), has announced a mandatory weeklong furlough for his office staff.
The city is facing a $9 billion budget shortfall due to the Covid19 pandemic.
The policy will require all Mayor’s Office staff to take five unpaid vacation days between October 2020 and March 2021. The move is expected to save about $1 million, according to De Blasio.
“We’re taking this action because it’s the thing we have to do now,” the mayor said. “I certainly think it says to people that everyone is trying to do what they can, everyone is sacrificing in some way, let’s all work together.”
The policy will apply to the mayor as well.
Staffers in the Mayor’s Office said they had heard rumors about such a move but were surprised that the policy would apply across the board.
“Morale is bad,” one staffer told Gothamist. “My morale is defunded.”
Photo by Gage Skidmore Via Wikimedia Commons