City employees who work at the airport will have to take between two and seven unpaid days off this year.
A United A319 in Denver (Photo: Shutterstock | Don Mammoser)
Roughly 1,400 Denver city employees who work at Denver International Airport will have to take unpaid furlough days this year, according to KUSA-TV.
All 15,000 city workers will be required to take between two and seven unpaid days off this year as a result of a $50 million shortfall in Denver’s general fund. The measure is expected to save about $10 million, with another $5 million to $10 million saved through a simultaneous hiring freeze, the station reported.
Furloughing Denver employees who work at the airport will not actually save the city any money since the airport operates independently of the city government with its own budget. But officials said the staff, as part of the broader city workforce, are still expected to abide by the policy.
“The airport will also take furloughs,” Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said last week. “All of our staff at the airport will also participate. Every employee is participating.”
“While our budget is not tied to the city’s General Fund, we have historically stood in solidarity with our City and County of Denver colleagues downtown when belts need to be tightened,” airport CEO Phil Washington wrote in an email to employees. “The hiring freeze, nor do layoffs, apply to DEN, but we will be following suit with furloughs for the remainder of this year.”
City workers hold numerous and varied positions at Denver International. According to KUSA, they work in operations, finance, information technology, and marketing. Some also serve as guides for travelers.
The decision to furlough city staff at the airport has met with pushback from the affected employees. Using a system known as “Dear DEN,” which allows workers to communicate with upper management, they asked why their pay was being reduced even though it will save money for the airport, not the city of Denver.
“Airport employees being furloughed will do absolutely nothing to help Denver’s financial situation,” one wrote.
“This ‘standing in solidarity with our downtown colleagues’ is a load of…” wrote another.
Adding to the outcry, the airport appeared to schedule furlough days around holidays, including on Aug. 29, before Labor Day, and on Nov. 28, right after Thanksgiving.
“Why in the world would you require all of us to take August 29 and November 28 off when those are during very busy travel times for the airport?” asked one employee through the Dear DEN system. “That’s a big risk if something were to fail and you don’t have any maintenance here to address it.”
Johnston and Washington have pointed out that city workers at the airport were also furloughed in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Denver is one of the busiest airports in the country. It served 82.3 million travelers in 2024.
Johnston has blamed the city’s budget deficit on slow revenue growth and “unsustainable” city expenses. At a public meeting last week, he warned the budget shortfall could grow to $200 million by 2026 if not checked.
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