NYC Mayor Says Thousands of Furloughed City Staff Will Get Reimbursed

Thousands of New York City employees required to take five unpaid furlough days over the past six months will be repaid, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Saturday.

Back in September, de Blasio said city employees would need to take the furlough as a way to save money due to the budget constraints brought on by the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.

An estimated 9,500 employees "across city agencies" took five days off between October 2020 and March 2021 in a move the mayor said saved New York City roughly $21 million.

Now, many months after that announcement, the mayor said Saturday that the federal stimulus the city received has allowed for the employees to be paid back in the coming months.

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“Public servants have gone above and beyond to serve New Yorkers this past year,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “We had to make difficult decisions as we faced a massive budget shortfall last year."

Mayor Bill de Blasio is furloughing his City Hall staff, including himself. The measure, announced Wednesday, is a way to save money due to the budget constraints brought on by the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. The news comes as New York City's already delayed school year launched its remote start Wednesday, a soft opening intended to serve as a prologue to next week's in-person return for more than a half-million students. Katherine Creag reports.

City employees will be able to reclassify their five furlough days as annual leave days or comp time in June, and get their money back the next month.