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Spokane County issuing layoff notices

SPOKANE, Wash. - Spokane County has started issuing layoff notices to some workers.

Dozens more layoffs are likely by the end of December unless unions and managers reach agreements on concessions in wages or work hours.

County Prosecutor Steve Tucker said Thursday he has notified eight attorneys and four support staff that they will be out of jobs by the beginning of 2010 unless changes are made to the county's labor agreement.

Similar notices have gone out to employees in the courts, the criminal justice system and all county services.

Due to the fact that so many different proposals are being discussed, its not yet possible to give an exact number of layoffs countywide.

Police deal in Spokane to save 12 jobs next year

(November 11, 2009)

A tentative deal between city leaders and the Spokane Police Guild will help save 12 police officer jobs next year.

The Spokesman-Review reports that a two-year deal was struck this week and announced Wednesday by city administrators. The police guild was the last city union to reach a tentative agreement, hoping that concessions would help prevent layoffs. City officials said without the agreement, the police department would loss 22 positions, although attrition and a hiring freeze would have led to only two layoffs.

If the agreement gets ratified by the union membership and the Spokane City Council, the city believes it will hire 10 officers next year, the newspaper reports.

The union concessions are part of mayor Mary Verner's 2010 budget strategy hoping to make up half of an expected $7 million deficit through the union deals.