Governor repeats threat of layoffs - Hawaii News

Unless circumstances change, Gov. Linda Lingle says she doesn't see how public employee layoffs can be avoided.

[State Worker]

Governor Lingle claims that she is willing to negotiate with the unions, yet her only proposals to union officials thus far continue to be monthly three-day furloughs or massive layoffs. Hopefully she and her staff can find other ways of balancing the budget besides 14 percent furloughs and massive layoffs.

[Main Street]

Maybe Lingle can consider using the $45 million from the state rainy day fund to help balance the budget. It's raining cats and dogs.

[joethebutcher]

State Worker wrote:

Governor Lingle claims that she is willing to negotiate with the unions, yet her only proposals to union officials thus far continue to be monthly three-day furloughs or massive layoffs. Hopefully she and her staff can find other ways of balancing the budget besides 14 percent furloughs and massive layoffs.

She doesn't have a clue on how to handle things. Her next step is to put the state workers into concentration camps until they accept the 3 day furlough.

[State Worker]

Main Street wrote:

Maybe Lingle can consider using the $45 million from the state rainy day fund to help balance the budget. It's raining cats and dogs.

Being that the administration is now calling this a "fiscal emergency", why not use some of the $180 million in the Hurricane Relief Fund as well? So is this really an "emergency" or not?

[Yes We Cant]

Yhea good idea to take money out of the Hurricane Relief Fund or the rainy day fund. How about the Unions taking a bit of responsibility? Your contract is up soon right? Get rid of the Unions and maybe you will see work go up and prices falling. It is called privitization!!

[Main Street]

joethebutcher wrote:

<quoted text>
She doesn't have a clue on how to handle things. Her next step is to put the state workers into concentration camps until they accept the 3 day furlough.

The unions are definitely on the horns of a dilemma. Should they agree to the three-day furloughs or should they allow for the massive layoffs that Governor Lingle threatens to resort to if they don't agree to the three-day furloughs? Why not make concessions and propose 2-day furloughs coupled with modest layoffs? Additionally, why not also use the money from the rainy day fund to help close the gap on this large budget shortfall?

[Huh]

If I read the article correctly, the state, Board of Education and schools superintendent are going to present a proposal to HSTA? Does that mean the budget that the superintendent submitted to the Board passed and has the Governor's approval? I know that the DOE had some kind of plan in place.

[Main Street]

Yes We Cant wrote:

Yhea good idea to take money out of the Hurricane Relief Fund or the rainy day fund. How about the Unions taking a bit of responsibility? Your contract is up soon right? Get rid of the Unions and maybe you will see work go up and prices falling. It is called privitization!!

The National Labor Relations Act of 1935 made it possible for the American worker to organize and collectively bargain. But guess who put a monkey-wrench in this act? Conservative Republicans soon after enacted the Taft-Harley Act which made the NLRA more of a confrontational process making it extremely difficult for workers to organize without being harrased. 75 years later and the GOP is still at it.

[State Worker]

Huh wrote:

If I read the article correctly, the state, Board of Education and schools superintendent are going to present a proposal to HSTA? Does that mean the budget that the superintendent submitted to the Board passed and has the Governor's approval? I know that the DOE had some kind of plan in place.

Governor Lingle cannot impose furloughs on state workers attached to the DOE and UH system. However she can and will cut their overall budgets to a similar degree in relation to the rest of the state workers under her. So DOE and UH workers will also face furloughs or layoffs just like the rest of the state workers. And yes, the DOE does have a contigency plan in place.

[Heads Up]

"Furloughs weren't mentioned because the administration thought the governor had the authority to furlough workers for a fiscal emergency."

If furloughs are such an integral part of the proposal, in fact the 3 day furloughs make up the lions share of the proposal, why wasn't it mentioned in the original proposal? No wonder the unions appeared to be caught completely off guard and went into panic mode.

[glenn paul]

Main Street wrote:

Maybe Lingle can consider using the $45 million from the state rainy day fund to help balance the budget. It's raining cats and dogs.

"Main Street" Just from a tourist point of view..GOOD POINT.

[State Worker]

Correction: I meant "contingency".

[glenn paul]

joethebutcher wrote:

<quoted text>
She doesn't have a clue on how to handle things. Her next step is to put the state workers into concentration camps until they accept the 3 day furlough.

Joe., I understand exactly what you are thinking, however, how do you handle Hawaiis situation when everyone knows that massive tourism is over, not only in Hawaii, but every-where in the world. People, I think, have finally realized they can't spend and spend on their credit cards as the good times will never end. Joe, Just one example...My wife and I were checking out of the Waikiki Beach Hotel on Kalakaue across from Kuhio Beach...the couple in front of us was handed a bill...at least 12 inches long...pulled out their credit card and paid. I hope they had a good time as if they are the average people, they will pay for their vacation for years in the future.

[breaking news]

Main Street wrote:

Maybe Lingle can consider using the $45 million from the state rainy day fund to help balance the budget. It's raining cats and dogs.

No, it is not raining cats and dogs, it is raining with an overload of state employees that state revenues cannot afford.

[glenn paul]

breaking news wrote:

<quoted text>
No, it is not raining cats and dogs, it is raining with an overload of state employees that state revenues cannot afford.

"breaking news" Good point. as everywhere in the US especially in Washington, DC.

[Richard]

Yea lets steal from the Hurricane Fund. Then hope there is no Hurricane like Iniki or Katrina to hit Hawaii. Why not just steal money from road paving,the police and fire departments also. The idea of living within our means doesn't matter. Unions need to just suck it up and join the club like everyone else and realize we will have to due with less.

[breaking news]

glenn paul wrote:

<quoted text>"breaking news" Good point. as everywhere in the US especially in Washington, DC.

DC has made its move awhile back to pare down its government workforce and in addition to that, has also made a reduction in the wage earnings of many. From coast to coast, many cities and states are trying to figure out a solution to the budget crunch affecting them. Cities and states must come up with a solution that hopefully will not increase its tax rates - especially during these economic times where many families are barely making ends meet and they must also not look to funds that have been established for othere purposes. Funds designated for a certain purpose must remain just that. No one said it would be an easy solution and there will always be pain felt somewhere. It is difficult to comprehend why a few organizations would go against a proposal that would try to save jobs via a few days of furlough rather than a permanent loss of jobs via layoffs. I am pretty sure that when all is said and done, layoffs may be the measure taken and I just hope that those who may be affected in such a layoff will realize that their jobs could have been saved by only sacrificing a few days a month rather than a total loss of their monthly earnings. There will be no winners and no losers in all of this. And as a sidebar, no matter what your opinion of Lingle is - at least Hawaii should know that you elected someone who will not just up and quit as her counterpart in Alaska. And she wants to be President in 2012? If she ever won the Presidency, would she just up and quit after a year and a half if she decided not to run for re-election? Winners don't quit and quiters don't win.

[Big John-Hawaii Kai]

Union leaders and some rank and file union members are just like the democrats of this State. They elect the crooks and cronies and then complain until the next election cycle about how the government is ripping them off. And durn if they don't go right back and reelect them again.

Insofar as the Hurricane and Rainy Day fund, yes, let's steal from that, like robbing Peter to pay Paul. Then, not if but when, we get hit with another natural disaster, we can all reach into those empty wallets we'll be carrying and pay all over again.

Come on Unions, join the private sector and suffer a little.

[khi]

perhaps the governor should begin accepting suggestions as to which offices to layoff out of. let the citizens give her some input. Maybe even individual non-working employees. How many times have you walked into a government office and seen people not working but goofing off doing personal business? Happens at UH all the time, everyday.

[pops]

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