East St. Louis police union reverses layoffs
EAST ST. LOUIS -- Nineteen East St. Louis police officers are back at work after members of their union signed off on a deal that reverses layoffs enacted last week.
The union, by a 23-14 vote Thursday, ratified an agreement that calls for a 20-percent pay cut through unpaid furlough days for the rest of the year.
It may be a temporary fix because the cash-strapped city will have to deal with a budget shortfall next year. As part of the deal, the city is to repay in increments early next year the wages officers are giving up now.
The layoffs amounted to about 30 percent of the city's police force.
A union representing 11 laid-off firefighters is weighing proposals to return those affected employees to work
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