By Dave Statter
STATter911
A federal judge in Maryland has ruled the furlough of firefighters, police officers and other public safety workers unconstitutional.
Judge Alexander Williams has ordered that Prince George’s County begin working with the unions on the refund of lost wages.
The furloughs began in the fall and required all workers to lose 80-hours pay. A new round of furloughs was scheduled for this fiscal year that began on July 1.
James P. Keary, Communications Director for Prince George’s County issued this statement around 5:30 PM:
President Obama has said we are in the midst of a deep economic crisis. As a result of this crisis, the county made a difficult decision to furlough its employees for 10 days, saving $17 million. Our decision, which was not taken lightly, was made to implement the furlough plan rather than lay off hundreds of employees.
The court has substituted its judgment without acknowledging the economic challenges facing the country. To comply with the court’s opinion, we will have massive layoffs. In order to protect their jobs and the lives of employees and their families we will be filing an appeal to remedy this irresponsible decision.