Hamtramck (MI) laid off 12 firefighters in the wake of a rejected concession vote by the fire union that would have saved the financially struggling city $575,000 per year, reports MLive.com.
“With these cuts, we’re only operating two engines and an ambulance,” said Andrew Oleksiak, a department motor engineer and vice president of the Hamtramck Local 750.
Prior to this weekend, the department operated two engines, a ladder truck and two ambulances based upon need.
For two months, the layoffs loomed, but Oleksiak said it was the union’s hope to reach an agreement with city officials before firefighters were sent home not knowing where their paychecks would come from.
With 16 firefighters handling 3,100 runs a year, Oleksiak says the union that the cost will actually increase, based on the necessary overtime and paying the time off earned by the laid off workers.
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