Schwarzenegger orders more furloughs

SacBee: State Worker ^ | 7/28/10 | Jon Ortiz

[SmithL]

Less than one month after ending furloughs for about 200,000 state workers, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger this morning brought back a scaled-down version of the policy, effective Sunday.

The governor made the decision this week after Controller John Chiang said that unless lawmakers enacted a budget soon, the state's cash would go into the red by October. Chiang said he'll start issuing IOUs in August or September to conserve funds as long as possible.

"We have a fiscal crisis," Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear said this morning as he explained the new furlough order. "We're doing what we have to do to conserve cash."

Like the policy that ended June 30, the governor's new executive order requires employees take three unpaid days off per month. But unlike that policy, it has no termination date: Furloughs will end when lawmakers pass a 2010-11 budget. That could be weeks or months after the Legislature reconvenes on Monday.

And unlike earlier policies, the new order exempts employees who work for departments that collect revenue, such as the 5,000 staff at the Franchise Tax Board. Staff in "special fund" organizations that receive considerable money from sources other than the general fund are also left untouched.

McLear said that the administration couldn't exclude those employees previously because the state faced twin revenue and cash crunches.

"Last year we were in free-fall," he said, but now the revenue crunch has eased, which allows the state some furlough flexibility.

Today's order also excludes about 37,000 state workers in six unions that recently reached tentative labor agreements with the Schwarzenegger administration.

[Liz]

"Ach der lieber. Ve haf a fhiscal chrisis undt dat sobanagun Ohbamah vont bahil uhs ouht. Duz he knowh he'z puttin ah Kennedee in dainjah? Ai getda nasheenul
simpatty ven anudder Kennedee goz kaputz, ifn Mariah valls offa dah skee livt at
Suhn Fhalley."

" Ai gotda vunny veeling dah Reepublucan Potty tinks RINOS
are pure crapola. Chonny, Rhooty undt mhe ghonna ghet jops ass
Val-Mart greetahs, Home Depot paint mixahs, McD's ketchop pumpahs,
undt Ved Lopstah vaitahs .......vhen ai loosses mai jop ass govnah."

[Pavegunner72]

A Terminator on screen, and off.

[I am Richard Brandon]

"the state's cash would go into the red by October"

No problem really - it's only a temporary thing. When that Proposition elimination a 2/3 majority for the budget passes in November, the cash crisis will disappear as the Dems put taxes and fees up, and UP, and UP.

[lainie]

Like the policy that ended June 30, the governor's new executive order requires employees take three unpaid days off per month. But unlike that policy, it has no termination date: Furloughs will end when lawmakers pass a 2010-11 budget. That could be weeks or months after the Legislature reconvenes on Monday.

And unlike earlier policies, the new order exempts employees who work for departments that collect revenue, such as the 5,000 staff at the Franchise Tax Board. Staff in "special fund" organizations that receive considerable money from sources other than the general fund are also left untouched.

[SunkenCiv]

three unpaid days off per month

Jenny Grandstand did the same thing here in Michigan, I'm sure it was just barely covered by the drive-by.

[oyez]

How is the SEIU reacting to all this?