GA$ relents: Furlough time expiration waived
Aug 9th, 2010 | By pacovilla | Category: Furloughs and Layoffs, SpotlightAs noted in the inset article, the Schwarzenegger Administration gave in to reality last week, granting furlough credits the full value federal law already guarantees.
Rather than being motivated by the desire to be fair, permitting all employees the opportunity to burn the accrued leave credits, GA$’ decision was simply an inevitable move to avoid potential treble damages under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
At the same time, this move saddles future administration’s with the unfunded liability of countless leave hours. As such, the Accidental Governor hands his successor a state in markedly worse condition than official numbers indicate–it will be up to others to deal with the steaming heap of leave credit IOU’s he leaves behind…
DPA: Accrued furlough hours no longer have expiration date
Furlough time that state workers have on the books can now stay in the bank indefinitely, according to a memo issued Thursday by the Department of Personnel Administration.
PML 2010-015 outlines the well-known details of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s latest furlough order…Then, at the bottom of the second page, this two-line paragraph:
Furlough hours cannot be cashed out. Effective immediately, there is no longer an expiration date to previously accrued furlough hours…
The issue arose a part of an Alameda Superior Court lawsuit brought by the California Correctional Peace Officers’ Association. The governor’s attorneys argued that there’s enough slack in the system for state workers to take the time off, especially because they’re supposed to take furlough time before any other leave time, such as vacation…(Full text at SacBee)