17 out 19 Seattle unions have agreed to cuts to cost of living raises next year. The unions agreed to cut the raises from 2% to 0.6%, with only the machinists and the police dispatchers rejecting the deal. The deal will save the city around $5.5 million altogether, and there will only be 300 layoffs, a number which the Mayor said would have been higher if the unions had not agreed to the cuts. They also agreed to lower raises through 2013. The Mayor said that he is in discussions with the Seattle Police Officers Guild and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 77.
See "Seattle employees argue to cut planned raises", Emily Heffter, The Seattle Times, October 11, 2010