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San Jose Looks To Cap Cop Sick Leave Retirement Buyouts

SAN JOSE (KCBS) - In the face of staggering budget cuts, San Jose's policy of paying city workers for unused sick leave is coming under scrutiny. The mayor says that the sick leave buyout policy is a perk the city may no longer be able to afford.

KCBS' Matt Bigler Reports:

The program pays employees for unused sick days once they retire. Last year retiring Police Chief Rob Davis cashed out 30 years of unused sick days for nearly $300,000.

This is all completely legal, but some say it needs to stop.

"There is no doubt that we need to make changes," said San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed, who notes that the city is facing another year of deficits over $100 million.

"Cashing in sick leave upon retirement is a perk we can no longer afford," said Reed. "It cost us $14 million last year. It's enormously expensive."

The San Jose Police Union said that the officers are only following the buyout rules that the city put in place years ago, in exchange for cops taking a raise.

Reed suggests they put a cap on sick leave, as other cities do.

(© 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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