Furlough talk is familiar -- and scary -- to state workers

Sacramento Bee ^ | 12/23/8 | Bobby Caina Calvan and Robert Lewis

[SmithL]

Elnora Fretwell, a state employee for two decades, has lived it before: furloughs, layoffs and IOUs.

"Every year, there seems to always be something," she said, her words flowing quickly, her voice reflecting frustration over the latest furlough proposals and a state budget crisis that just won't go away.

"It's Christmas. I have to pay my bills. I'd be taking a $300 to $400 pay cut. I've got a mortgage to pay," said Fretwell, a supervisor at the California State Teachers' Retirement System. "These furloughs? All of us are fair game."

She knows there's a $40 billion budget gap. She knows there won't be any easy solutions – not when the governor and legislators can't agree on the details needed to hammer out a spending plan.

But Fretwell didn't mince words: "We feel like pawns."

On Friday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered furloughs for most state employees – two days of unpaid time off every month, beginning Feb. 1 – and put state workers on notice that layoffs could be coming.

The governor's action was aimed at cutting up to 10 percent from the general fund payroll. Furloughs could save $1.3 billion over 17 months, while $2 billion could be saved annually by chopping employment by 10 percent.

It is unclear, though, how much Schwarzenegger's plan will actually save. State officials can't say how many of the more than 230,000 state employees will be exempted from furloughs.

Workers and union representatives also question the impact that cutting work time by 10 percent will have on their ability to provide services.

[Bluegrass Conservative]

Really just depends on where you are, I guess. In Kentucky, the merit jobs (read: "non-political") still do not pay that great compared to the private sector. Benefits are good though.

The merit (read "political appointed") jobs pay better, but it's well-known that they are "at-will" and typically do not last longer than one administration.