June 9th, 2008

Administration Secretary Naomi Wyatt announced Friday that Gov. Rendell is going to furlough all non-essential state employees by July 1st if the budget isn’t passed, reports the Patriot News.  The Gov. says that according to the Fair Labor Standards Act, the federal government could fine Pennsylvania $3.5 million a day, plus other costs, for letting employees work that have not yet had budget money allocated to them for salaries.  Wyatt explains that this is just not a risk the Gov. is willing to take again this year.

State employees will be soon be sent a notice deeming them “essential” or “non-essential” and then later on in the month a furlough notice will be sent out to all those considered “noncritical to the health, safety and welfare of citizens.”  Based on this rule, state troopers, nurses, and corrections officers will continue working.  Places like state parks, and drivers license centers will be shut-down.

Many Republicans are very angry, saying the Governor is using state employees and their families as leverage to get what he wants in the budget.  “The federal government isn’t going to come in and fine us because we allowed workers to work during a budget impasse that’s only temporary,” Sen. Jeff Piccola said. “This is nothing more than using state employees as pawns to extract budget concessions out of a Legislature that might not otherwise give him those concessions.”

Others contend that Rendell is using the threat to get the budget passed more quickly, saying he would be embarrassed to host the the National Governors Association meeting in Philadelphia from July 11 to 14 without having passed a state budget by then.