Judge to halt furloughs in many (Calif.) state agencies

[Newsjock]

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

An Alameda County judge said today he would order furloughs halted for tens of thousands of state employees, a ruling that would return the Department of Motor Vehicles and many other state agencies to their normal schedules of five days a week.

Superior Court Judge Frank Roesch had ruled in December that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger violated state law when he ordered the employees to take three days off per month without pay. Today's order, if it stands, will block furloughs of those employees through the end of the fiscal year June 30.

Roesch issued a tentative ruling this morning and said he would make a final ruling later today that reached the same conclusion.

It applies to 68 offices and agencies that receive most or all of their money from sources other than the state general fund, such as the federal government and specially generated state fees. They include the DMV, the Employment Development Department, Caltrans and the state lottery.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/03/24/BABU1CKMAE.DTL&tsp=1

[WhiteTara]

1. will they get back pay?

This has been devastating for state workers.

[Gormy Cuss]

3. Even if they did, what the governor can do is reduce their pay

if salaried or reduce their hours if not.
I was just talking to a friend who's a state worker about this very thing.

[David__77]

2. I must say I'm glad I'm out of the public sector.

I liked the stability that was present most of the time, but you end up being a scapegoat. Diligent, committed workers make less than their private sector counterparts in many cases because of the stability, and then that is snatched away too.