More Aurora employees agree to take furlough

About 200 more Aurora employees have agreed to take two furlough weeks in 2010 in exchange for protection from any future layoffs through next year.

AFSCME Local 3298 waited only about 24 hours after settling a new contract Tuesday evening, which included 1.67 percent annual raises through 2011, before agreeing to the concessions.

According to Chief Administrative Services Officer Alex Alexandrou, every full-time and part-time employee will take 80 hours of unpaid time off next year by either taking the straight time off or forfeiting as much as 80 sick hours.

In lieu of taking unpaid days off, an employee may also choose to have the accumulated monetary value of the furlough days prorated on an annual basis, and then deducted in equal amounts over the 26 pay checks they receive during the year.

Tuesday night aldermen approved a new contract for the same bargaining unit, retroactive to Oct. 1, 2008, which provides raises for the 210 employees in Local 3298 in the first and third years of the agreement but freezes salaries for 2009-2010.

Employees covered under the contract include full- and part-time clerical workers, inspectors, building maintenance staff, telecommunications operators, court detention technicians, customer service representatives, accountants and engineering technicians.

The pact calls for 3 percent raises retroactive to Oct. 1, 2008, and a 2 percent increase effective Oct. 1, 2010 and several changes to each employee's health care options.

In October aldermen approved a new four-year contract with AFSCME Local 1514 that provides members an average annual 1.93 percent raise through 2012. AFSCME Local 1514 includes public works, water production and water and sewer maintenance employees.