Spokane7
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April 28, 2010 in City
Washington state furlough law enacted
Gregoire signs bill to trim agency budgets
OLYMPIA – Thousands of state workers will take 10 days off without pay over the next 14 months under a law signed Tuesday by Gov. Chris Gregoire.
The new law is a cost-cutting measure approved by the Legislature in the face of a $2.8 billion shortfall in the state’s general fund. The furloughs could cut some $50 million in wage and salary expenses from the general fund and $86 million overall.
Nearly 12,500 state workers will be required to take 10 designated days off without pay unless their management comes up with another way to match projected savings from furloughs.
Gregoire vetoed one section of the bill, which required a set amount – $10 million – in savings from managers through the furloughs. She said the provision could have resulted in extra furlough days among managers to reach that specified amount.
“This is about equity,” she said. Management will have the same furlough days as the rank and file.
The first furlough day is July 12. Most are on Fridays or Mondays, and no month has more than one furlough day. Some departments are exempt from the law, including the state patrol, prisons, child protective services, academic staff at state colleges and universities, state liquor stores and parks.
While most bill-signings are attended by sponsors and others ready to celebrate a new law, no one showed up to take credit or applaud the enactment of the furlough bill. Gregoire signed it and had no one to accept the ceremonial pen.
Marty Brown, the director of the Office of Financial Management, said some details are still being worked out. For example, while college faculty are exempt, other staff aren’t. But someone has to unlock the buildings and turn on the heat, he said. The state will find ways to notify the public and state employees of office closures in advance of the furlough days, just as it does for holidays that are celebrated by the state but not the local or federal government.
“We’ll have to start way earlier,” he added.
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west on April 28 at 7:42 a.m.
“This is about equity,” she says. Ummm 12,000 employees get 10 days off out of 100,000 employees? Fairness?
Another_Perspective on April 28 at 8:58 a.m.
Imagine the State Patrol taking 10 days off? No more using a firefighter as a punching bag. Probably will have to reschedule that for later.
This doesnt effect the bloated retirement programs.
If Gregoire had a single brain cell she would limit ALL state salaries to less than $100,000. If you cant live on $100K, then your probably also mismanaging your state job too.
Penny wise, pound foolish. Does haywire know how to use a calculator?
$86,000,000/$2,800.000,000 = 3%. Great start considering she was in Debt Denial less than 6 months ago.
She should take back all that $ she gave the state workers to bribe them to vote her back into office.
So when are we going to get really really tired of our State mismanaged government and do something other than wave signs around? Remember in November. Dump Brown, Gregoire, Marr, McMorris, Murray and Cantwell..and the rest of those delusional liars.
lewis8457 on April 28 at 9:19 a.m.
state workers have to take 10 days off with no pay…..while the SPD gets 54 hours extra paid vacation this year.
Orange on April 28 at 1:01 p.m.
$86M saved for 10 days of furlough. Double it! About half the states debt would be taken care of right?
ToddHogan on April 28 at 1:17 p.m.
As good of a start this law is- it just isn’t enough. Government is just too big in Washington State..
The Governor is the GM of the business called “Washington State”. Major program ELIMINATIONS need to occur. Not just furloughs and “cuts”. Why is this so dang hard for everyone to realize? What is it they are NOT understanding?
In any other business- The Governor would be one of the first to be let go.
Get Washington State back to profitability or the people (the boss) will do it for you.
If the Governor just can’t figure it out- we can all vote on what to keep and what to scrap. Oh wait… that would be eliminating the NEED for a Governor… whoops.
gotcha on June 24 at 6:25 a.m.
We need a govenor like they voted in from New Jersey….He is kicking the unions butts…SEIU Union organizers are one sorry group.