By Isoken Osagie
(NEW YORK) Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Saturday that non-represented New York City employees who took unpaid furlough days will be able to get that money back.
According to Gothamist, about 9,500 city employees were forced to take five days of furlough between October 2020 and March as New York City grappled with a budget crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In September, de Blasio announced that all managerial and non-represented city employees had to take five furlough days which saved the city $21 million, per ABC 7 NY.
However, the mayor said Saturday that the federal stimulus put the city in a "much better place," allowing for the employees' payback.
Beginning June, employees will be able to sign up to reclassify their time as either annual leave days or compensatory time and get their money back in July.
"Public servants have gone above and beyond to serve New Yorkers this past year," said the mayor, per ABC 7 NY. "We had to make difficult decisions as we faced a massive budget shortfall last year. Thanks to the federal stimulus, we are in a much better place and can pay these workers back for their sacrifice."