1,100 bus drivers in the Los Angeles school district, represented by the Service Employees International Union Local 99, have agreed to take six unpaid furlough days this year. The district is facing nearly $200 million in budget deficit this year, and hopes that the bus drivers concession is the first of many. Local 99 President, Edward Reed, said the union understands that some concessions are necessary to preserve jobs in these hard times. Refusing furlough days would have meant pay and benefit cuts for everyone. The school district says that the bus drivers concession does not guarantee that cuts will not have to made in other areas, but hopes that it can avoid further significant layoffs.
See "L.A. school district union agrees to furloughs", Jason Song, Los Angeles Times, September 22, 2009