Williams sets meeting with union reps to discuss budget deficit

Williams sets meeting with union reps to discuss budget deficit

YOUNGSTOWN —Mayor Jay Williams said he’ll meet next week with the heads of the city’s employee unions to discuss ways to reduce the city’s projected budget deficit.

Salary and benefit concessions will be part of that “wide-ranging conversation,” he said.

“We need to discuss salary and benefit concessions as a measure to try to reduce layoffs,” Williams said today.

A date for the meeting will be decided shortly.

City administration officials said last week that reducing the city work force by 60 — or the financial equivalent of those layoffs, $3.9 million in salary and benefits — is needed by July 1.

But after a recent re-examination of the budget, further layoffs are also possible.

For the complete story, see Thursday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com