New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) said that the city could lay off or furlough up to 22,000 employees in the fall as it faces a $9 billion budget shortfall from the coronavirus, the Wall Street Journal reported. Looking to cut another $1 billion from the budget, de Blasio said that the staffing reductions would happen in the fall and be across every city agency, including his own office. There are currently more than 326,000 city employees, according to the Citizens’ Budget Commission. Mr. de Blasio has warned about the “bleak reality” of the city’s financial crisis since the coronavirus hit, but Wednesday was the first time he put a number to possible staff cuts in the fiscal year beginning July 1. To avoid layoffs, the mayor said that he would first try to find the savings in discussions with the labor unions that represent city employees. The city could negotiate some concessions within the contracts, he said. “We are running out of options here,” he added, calling layoffs and furloughs a “last resort.”
