Furlough Friday frustration
State workers in San Diego decried mandatory furloughs that shuttered offices throughout California on Friday, including all Department of Motor Vehicles locations.
More than 200,000 state workers are expected to stay home Friday without pay as part of a cash-saving effort by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger amid California’s mounting budget problems.
According to SEIU Local 1000, which represents more than 95,000 state employees, Friday is usually one of the busiest days at the DMV.
As a result of the furlough, 132,000 registrations will not be processed and 100,000 driver licenses will not be issued by the state agency that annually collects $6.8 billion in fees, according to the union.
“It didn’t have to be this way,” a statement from the union read.
“More than a week ago, Local 1000 presented the governor’s negotiators with a deal that would have prevented the closure of state offices, created an orderly, flexible and manageable furlough process, prevented chaos and saved the state hundreds of millions of dollars.”
State workers represented by the union gathered outside the DMV in Hillcrest this morning to speak out against the furloughs.
Schwarzenegger recently ordered the nonessential state office closures on the first and third Friday of each month to help reduce California’s $42 billion budget shortfall.
Related posts:
- Chamber of Commerce wants legislature to consider budget
- Schwarzenegger salary ploy won’t work
- Two NC residents named to budget panel
- California’s ‘bond-mania’ shows no sign of abating
- Borrowing our way out of crisis?
Short URL: http://www.delmartimes.net/?p=3860
Posted by Pat Sherman
on Feb 6, 2009. Filed under Archives.
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