ANAHEIM : Vacation Donations Aid Unemployed

The city is allowing its employees to donate vacation time to 10 co-workers laid off last month because of budget cuts.

The city will buy back the hours and give the money to the Anaheim Municipal Employees Assn., the workers’ union, which will divide the money equitably among those laid off, said Sharon A. Ericson, union president.

More than 270 hours have been donated since the City Council approved the plan last week, Ericson said. She said the donations have ranged from one hour of vacation time up to 40 hours. However, because those who have donated time earn different wages, Ericson said it would be impossible to estimate how much money has been collected.

“This is a good way to get people to donate money,” she said. “If you pass around an envelope, everybody might donate a dollar or two, but you don’t collect very much. This way, people can donate more money in a way they don’t really even notice.”

Ericson said she believes only one of the laid-off employees has found a another job.

“The people who were laid off were low-level employees, and it is usually difficult for them to find work--especially jobs that have benefits,” she said.

She said there have been similar campaigns in the past for seriously ill employees.

“Earlier this year, we raised $27,000 for an employee who needed a lung transplant,” she said.

The employees were laid off after the city cut $8 million worth of expenditures to balance its budget.