BOSTON -- Boston Emergency Medical Services workers have agreed to halt scheduled wage increases for the upcoming year, becoming the third union to accept Mayor Thomas Menino’s request for a citywide wage freeze, according to The Boston Globe.

In his state of the city address last month, Menino said that a moratorium on salary increases is necessary to prevent layoffs and cuts to municipal services.

The city, which faces a $140 million budget gap this year, estimates that the wage freeze could save about $60 million.

"If we can agree to a one-year wage freeze, then I can protect core services for residents and preserve jobs," Menino said in his address on Jan. 13. "I know this will be hard on working families, but the way I see it, a one-year wage freeze beats core service reductions and painful layoffs."

The Boston School Police Association and Boston Superior Officers Federation also agreed to Menino’s wage-freeze request, the Globe reports.