Layoffs Among Clallam County Employees

Clallam County will have to lay off thirty workers in order to balance a $2.4 million budget shortfall.

The eight unions that represent Clallam County employees were asked to either accept a one-year waiver on a pre-negotiated 3% cost of living increase, or take 24 unpaid days off.  They declined both options.  County Administrator Jim Jones said:

“If the unions would agree to that, we would not lay off anybody this year.  We would still be about $800,000 short in being able to completely eliminate the shortfall if that had happened, but we would make up the $800,000. That was a reasonable use of reserves, which would buy us time to look for other ways to raise that revenue, perhaps in the form of a small public safety tax.”