Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Schwarzenegger to send layoff warnings to 20,000 workers

California: Putting the fun in dysfunctional!
From the Sacramento Bee:

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will send layoff warnings to at least 20,000 state workers Friday unless he reaches a budget agreement with legislative leaders that precludes the need for such cuts, his office announced Tuesday.

The Republican governor intends to eliminate 10,000 full-time positions from the state's general fund, either by job cuts, attrition or transfer to positions funded by special revenue streams, according to Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear. The layoff notices would go to 20 percent of the least senior workers in each department, initiating a process to eliminate jobs by July 1.

The state would save an estimated $750 million in the next fiscal year by eliminating 10,000 jobs, according to McLear, five times the amount the governor proposed saving in his January budget. Schwarzenegger is also seeking to save roughly $75 million by eliminating two holidays and overtime pay on other state holidays. Schwarzenegger already has imposed twice monthly furloughs on state workers to save an estimated $1.3 billion over 17 months....MORE