Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has struck a tentative deal with civilian city employee unions to avoid layoffs and furloughs for the next six months, by postponing raises for those workers until summer 2022.

The Coalition of L.A. City Unions, which represents clerks, gardeners, mechanics, custodians and many other municipal employees, tentatively agreed to push back a 2% raise scheduled for this month and another 2% planned in June.

Garcetti confirmed the broad outlines of the deal, saying in a statement that he hopes to reach similar agreements with sworn employees at the city’s police and fire departments.

“The COVID-19 crisis has caused the most devastating economic downturn Los Angeles has ever faced, and we have asked our labor partners to help us save jobs and services by deferring their scheduled raises,” he said.

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