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Pawlenty to state workers: Take 48 (unpaid) days off
The deficit prompted the idea; unions call plan a "bomb."
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Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty wants state workers to take up to 24 days of unpaid leave during each of the next two years.
In talks set against the backdrop of a $4.6 billion projected two-year budget deficit, state contract negotiators recently pitched the plan to AFSCME Council 5 and the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees (MAPE), the two largest unions representing state workers.
In a message to their members, union officials called the furlough proposal a "bomb."
"Who can pay their bills after the loss of one month's pay," states a message on AFSCME's website. "Worse yet, he'd [Pawlenty] give managers the right to arbitrarily decide who gets furloughed, when they get furloughed, and for how long. That's an invitation for the boss to play favorites. It's also an attempt to balance the budget on the backs of AFSCME state employees who earn $37,000 on average."
Union officials contacted Thursday night said they couldn't comment on the proposal. "We have an agreement with the state not to bargain in the media," said Jennifer Munt, AFSCME spokeswoman. "And it's our hope that the governor adheres to that agreement."
AFSCME Council 5 represents about 19,000 state workers who range from clerical to technical to maintenance, while MAPE covers 12,000 workers in professions from forensics and psychology to financial auditing and sex-offender counseling.
Brian McClung, Pawlenty's spokesman, said, "We're not going to discuss details of the negotiations in the media. However this proposal is in line with what many states and private businesses are doing. It is one piece of a larger discussion about how we can keep government within its means.''
The state's 2010-2011 budget period begins July 1, essentially coinciding with the June 30 expiration of the current state worker contracts. The current contracts between the two unions and the state included 3.25 percent pay raises for workers, who picked up some increases in health care costs.
As part of his plan to address the budget deficit, Pawlenty has proposed $2.4 million in spending cuts and a pay freeze for state employees.
Other states also are implementing or considering state worker furloughs, according to news reports from around the country.
Iowa judicial workers got a one-day unpaid furlough on Feb. 16, and more are possible as the state's judicial system and other agencies look at ways to trim budgets.
Last week, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell proposed that state employees take two unpaid furlough days per month. And in one of the nation's most cash-strapped states, California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered unpaid furloughs for roughly 238,000 state workers that started in February.
Minnesota union officials urged members to call the governor and tell him to "forget the furlough." They also told members to call legislators, asking them to "save jobs and services by raising revenue with fair taxes on the wealthy."
"We've made sacrifices in the past, and the budget shouldn't be balanced on our backs," the union website said. "We're struggling paycheck to paycheck like everyone else during this recession."
Mary Lynn Smith • 612-673-4788
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Current state office holders
Governor: Tim Pawlenty
One of only a few prominent Republicans to win a competitive re-election contest in the Democratic sweep of 2006, Tim Pawlenty is widely seen as politically shrewd and naturally likable.
- Lt. Governor: Carol Molnau
- Secretary of State: Mark Ritchie
- Attorney General: Lori Swanson
- State Auditor: Rebecca Otto
Minnesota's political giants: Learn more about the men and women who have shaped Minnesota's political history.
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