The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
July 11, 2012

Public Workers Battle City of Scranton After Pay Cut to Minimum Wage 
---------------------------------------------------------------------


 
Public sector workers in Scranton, Pennsylvania, are battling the city's
mayor in court after he unilaterally cut their pay to the minimum wage
of $7.25 an hour amidst a financial crisis. Scranton Mayor Christopher
Doherty cut his own pay and that of the workers after the city
reportedly had only $5,000 in the bank last week. Unions representing
the workers won an injunction against the pay cuts, but the city
instituted them anyway. The unions are now asking a judge to hold the
mayor and city in contempt, as well as challenging the city over unpaid
overtime and disability pay cuts. Scranton is just one of a handful of
cities facing public budget woes. On Tuesday, city leaders in San
Bernardino, California, voted to file for bankruptcy after a report
found the city faces a massive budget deficit. It's the third city in
California to seek bankruptcy protection in less than a month, following
Mammoth Lakes and Stockton.

 

.