Indiana government workers ponder taking unpaid leave

[IndianaGreen]

Indiana government workers ponder taking unpaid leave

Indiana is offering state government employees voluntary unpaid leave, but it's unclear how many workers might give up part of their paycheck during a recession to help the state save money.

Gov. Mitch Daniels announced the unpaid leave plan last week as part of a series of budget-cutting measures. State tax collections fell $309 million below expectations during the first four months of this fiscal year, prompting the cuts.

State workers who want to take the state up on its offer can request up to a month of unpaid leave, during which they won't get paid but will continue to get benefits.

Employees can request the leave however they want it: a day of unpaid leave every week, for example, or two weeks off in a row. It's up to department supervisors to approve or deny requests and make sure state services continue.

The Daniels administration isn't sure exactly how much the state might save or how many of the state's 30,000 workers might take unpaid leave.

http://www.indystar.com/article/20091110/NEWS05/911100383/State+workers+mull+taking+unpaid+leave

[Proud Liberal Dem]

1. It's pretty hard to imagine anybody taking Daniels up on THIS

I work for the State myself and got a notice about this in my e-mail. You'd have to be wealthy enough (or have a wealthy spouse) just to be in the position to possibly consider this IMHO. :eyes: The rest of us need to keep working AND getting paid (without raises for the second straight year in a row) just to keep our heads above water.