Public Employees take unpaid days off to save jobs

Members of the Placer Public Employees Organization (PPEO), which represents about 1800 county employees, have voted to approve taking 12 days off without pay next fiscal year and to accept a lower cost-of-living cap as a means of preventing layoffs among employees represented by PPEO.

Chuck Thiel, Business Representative for PPEO, notified the Placer County Executive Officer last night of the results of the vote, 568 in favor, 275 opposed.

The agreement mirrors a previously agreed to plan that management and confidential employees supported in February. Both agreements will be effective during the next fiscal year, July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010. The combined effect of the actions will save the county about $6.7 million.

‘Our employees represented by PPEO, in addition to our managers and confidential staff who took this step earlier, have helped assure that Placer County can continue to provide quality services to residents despite the tough economic times,’ said F. C. ‘Rocky’ Rockholm, Chairman of the Placer County Board of Supervisors. ‘We owe them our thanks and our respect for taking this valiant action.’

The Board of Supervisors will need to ratify the agreement during their meeting at Northstar next Tuesday, but had directed the County Executive Office in February to seek an agreement similar to that agreed to by about 280 management and confidential employees. Those employees, who are not represented by a union, had held informal meetings and an informal vote to determine how best to prevent layoffs.

‘Our employees, first the management and confidential group, and now PPEO members, have demonstrated exceptional leadership in this challenging budget year,’ said Thomas M. Miller, County Executive Officer. ‘Their actions will save at least 100 jobs.’