vt.Buzz ~ a political blog

Political notes from Free Press staff writers Terri Hallenbeck, Sam Hemingway and Nancy Remsen

7.22.2009

Echoes from the upside-down state

This from our neighbors in New Hampshire.

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch has told his department
heads to make plans for the state to lay off 750 workers beginning in September.

Lynch said the State Employees Association, which represents most of the
state’s 11,500 workers, has not agreed to a furlough plan to avoid layoffs.
Lynch said he agreed to limit layoffs to those already planned in the state
budget. He said that means if revenues continue dropping he won’t lay off
workers to save money.

Lynch said he also agreed to shut some state offices on selected days for
some of the furlough days. Negotiators meet Thursday, but Lynch said the
state can’t wait to make plans for layoffs

.

Sound familiar?

- Terri Hallenbeck

Labels: jobs, New Hampshire, politics, state budget cuts, Vermont

posted by vt.Buzz | 11:13 AM |

Comments:

All of it except the part about employees rejecting the governor's furlough days. Here in Vermont, our employees offered furlough days and the governor rejected them.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 12:11 PM, July 22, 2009

"Lynch said he agreed to limit layoffs to those already planned in the state budget. He said that means if revenues continue dropping he won’t lay off workers to save money."

Will Douglas agree to the same thing? Now that we have another $28 million hole, I hope he won't propose cutting state workers again.

Unfortunately, state human services benefit programs are going to have to be cut sooner or later. Look at what is happening in California. We can't afford champagne services on a beer budget.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 12:18 PM, July 22, 2009

upside down state? sounds right side up to me and so much more reasonable than the (lack of) leadership we are getting from the Douglas administration in Vermont.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 12:55 PM, July 22, 2009

Let's everyone get real - Jim Douglas wanted bodies!

Jim Douglas wanted to lay off state workers!

A couple of state depts asked if they could find the money within their budgets, could they keep their employees - Douglas said no!

So instead, as Jim Douglas cuts front line state workers, he gives his spokespeople promotions and raises!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 3:00 PM, July 22, 2009

The difference is in voting constituencies. Lynch and Douglas both have a budget gap to close, and there's no way around some employee layoffs (no need to argue about whether states whose populations have barely grown in 20 years really need twice the # of state employees). So how do you do it? Lynch tries to keep some through furloughs and minimize his overall layoffs. His constituency contains unions and public servants.

Douglas, however, only needs to do one thing: funnel public jobs to private companies, as the owners of the firms who will pick up the consulting work after the employees are gone are usually Republican donors. Oh, you thought Jimmy boy would permanently save the money? Silly...he's planning to wait a year or less and start funneling the work to private companies. Why? Because that's his constituency.

# Posted by:

Tom | 8:51 AM, July 24, 2009

Douglas is exactly right. Our state government is too big. It's time to restructure government and move on.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 6:12 AM, July 25, 2009

"Let's everyone get real"? PLEASE! VSEA had an opportunity to save ALL of the jobs, but the needs of the union bosses - to preserve COLAS and pay increases - won out over the needs of the few, who lost their jobs. Union employees need to face the reality that every other Vermonter is living with - we're in a depression and a 5 percent pay cut is a hell of a lot better than most people in the state are getting, and those people are paying your salary.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 11:07 AM, July 27, 2009

Wow - Anonymous 11:07, 7/27...

You are either misinformed or deliberately telling lies.

VSEA membership (the Union bosses don't make the decisions) agreed to FREEZE salaries for this year and next, offered up unpaid furlough days, and more -to teh tune of about $2600-$3000 impact per year per employee.

Get your facts straight before you start trashing people.

By the way, the VSEA union members are citizens of Vermont - they have families, and they have bills to pay - just like everyone else!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 12:36 PM, August 03, 2009

"By the way, the VSEA union members are citizens of Vermont - they have families, and they have bills to pay - just like everyone else!"

Yeah, except it's "everyone else" who has to pay their bloated union salaries.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 10:35 PM, August 03, 2009