Pink Slips Caused by Covid-19
Written by Andre on May 6, 2020
City of Rochester
News Release
Mayor Warren Announces City Personnel Reductions to Protect Essential Services Due To COVID-19
Over $2.1 Million in Savings Generated by 403 Changes, Including Furloughs, Work Sharing and Layoffs
Notable Details Include:
– Uniformed members of the Rochester Police and Fire Departments as well as the Emergency Communications Department are Unaffected
– No Impact on Refuse & Recycling, Road/Bridge Maintenance or Water Service
– 25 Mayor’s Office Staff Affected (1 furloughed, 20 job sharing, 4 separations)
(Tuesday, May 5, 2020) – Mayor Lovely A. Warren announced today personnel reductions to protect essential services, including the police and fire departments. Over $2.1 million in savings will be generated over the current and next fiscal years. 403 employees in total are affected. However, 17 positions are eliminated with the remaining 386 employees subject to furlough or work sharing for the duration of the COVID-19 crisis.
“We face a public health crisis that has also become a fiscal crisis for Rochester and our fellow cities across the country,” said Mayor Warren. “We are acting now to protect essential services, including our police and fire departments, because we must do all we can today to ensure we overcome the uncertainty of the coming weeks and months. The loss of revenue from our sales tax, as well as state aid will be significant, but remains unknown. We are hopeful that our federal and state governments will step up to help Rochester and other cities. But, we cannot wait. We must protect our community and its taxpayers now.”
The initial personnel reductions will begin to be effective Monday, May 11 and include 403 employees — 178 furloughed, 208 work share and 17 separations. Notification to these employees began earlier today.
Importantly, all furloughed and work sharing employees will retain their healthcare benefits for the duration of their changed status. Separated employees will receive nine (9) months of healthcare benefits after their last date of employment. In addition, many furloughed or job sharing employees will benefit financially from the increased unemployment benefits provided by the federal CARES act.
“These are not decisions I make lightly; I value our City employees and the work they do,” said Mayor Warren. “However, we must act now to lessen the impact of this crisis on our community later. It is my sincere hope that our federal and state leaders act to provide the needed resources to our local governments so we can continue to provide vital services.”
A complete breakdown of the personnel reductions by department is provided below. Mayor Warren will propose her full budget, including these reductions, to City Council on Friday, May 15.
City of Rochester Personnel Reductions to Begin Effective Monday, May 11
| Department | # of Furloughed | # of Job Share |
# of Separated | Total |
| Mayor’s Office | 1 | 20 | 4 | 25 |
| Human Resources | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Law | 0 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Emergency Communications | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Environmental Services | 2 | 28 | 0 | 30 |
| Library | 151 | 62 | 0 | 213 |
| Information Technology | 12 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Neighborhood & Business Development | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Finance | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Recreation & Youth Services | 0 | 48 | 8 | 56 |
| Police (non-uniform) | 0 | 46 | 1 | 47 |
| TOTALS | 178 | 208 | 17 | 403 |
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News Media: For more information, contact Communications Director Justin Roj at 397-4309.
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