The governor offered the state employees 12 days of furloughs 2 weeks ago. For 12 days, they had to go home and not get paid. The unions said no, and his offer turned into layoffs. Now frankly, a negotiation is not about making the deal worse everytime you go to the table. You’d never sell a car that way. But OK. The unions caved and it looked like the new deal was going to be 8 days this year, 4 days next year with no pay. BUT you still had to come to work! How is being not paid to work better than not getting paid and staying home? I’m no fan of either Council 94 or Carcieri, but Carcieri is being pretty nasty about it. Obviously the legislature plays a role too, but I just don’t understand how you can call any of this a negotiation.
September 20, 2009 at 1:10 am
Federal orders to RI AG to produce these SHOCKING email transmissions between AG’s discussing Hopkinton,RI Police Chief John Scuncio. You will read where they state Scuncio is stalking Mauti and Scuncio’s MADNESS must stop!!!
Plus read these and other Federal court records from Pacer site. To date Scuncio’s delays have cost the case another 6 mo. delay. He’s trying to financially break Mauti . Won’t Happen !
Click onto my web link to read: AG’s say Scuncio Stalking !
After all Scuncio has attys at the expense of the Taxpayers of Hopkinton ! So What does he care !
Unfortunately they’ll pay for Police Chief John Scuncio’s Sins !
September 22, 2009 at 2:12 am
The legislature “plays a role”? All they had to do was pass a reasonable budget and none of this happens?
“being not paid to work” is better than getting laid off, and perhaps having some of your colleagues laid off.
September 24, 2009 at 2:27 am
How so? If you were laid off for 12 days you could stay home, go shopping, have a nice quite afternoon. If you lose 12 days of pay but still have to go to work, how do you benefit? If working for free is so great, how come no one goes volunteers to work Saturday and Sunday for free? And the original plan was not to lay anyone off, it was 12 days of furlough spread across 8 months. You go home, you don’t get paid, you come back tomorrow. Please, pay attention and keep up if you are going to comment…
September 25, 2009 at 12:24 am
Yes, Gov and others should be willing to practice what they are preaching.Three Gov’s don’t take a salary many refused raises . Numerous Gov’s froze wages at top level even reducing ! Not making new positions like bringing in guy from mass big dig and settle him into a cushy job and give him big bucks. Look at record of big dig hm big theft google it !
As it stands many offices are running on skeleton crews , 3 covering for 5 whereas say 2 retired,let go,or left. Those positions cannot be refilled per ex order one’s left to cover are their emotional wrecks.
The top staff should fill those vacant spots after all their being paid enough.Then they will have to deal with pressure.
It’s sad,criminal,shocking how all this even came to be . Now latest news the deficit is higher than stated yes we are always in the dark.Google congressmen/governors refusing pay raises for themselves some taking $0-.
Fed’s should be in the door yesterday, last year etc.
Hopkinton Chief John Scuncio [MAD Stalker] and dept will empty chest per pensions . Actually the chest can’t even meet that expense. God help this town – State – People – Families – business’s.Things are bad now but are going to get much worse.
http://www.freewebs.com/thequestforjustice/
September 25, 2009 at 9:50 pm
Dude, he’s not talking about laying them off for 12 days. He’s talking about laying them off for the rest of the year (at least)!
Thanks for the advice about paying attention.
September 27, 2009 at 11:04 pm
Dude, the original plan was to furlough them for 12 days! So how was being furloughed for 12 days (the original plan), better than working those 12 days for no pay? So yes, you are the one not paying attention. Fool.
And at this point, now that layoffs are on the table, there has been no official or unofficial word as to how long anyone will be laid off. Laying them off for more than a couple weeks is pointless because they are all going to start collecting unemployment (which, in case you did not realize, is paid for by the same budget he is trying to reduce).
September 28, 2009 at 7:46 am
First of all, then union heads took the first plan to court to kill it, and agreed to the new plan to work the unpaid days. You could ask them.
I think it’s probably better because it affects more state workers, rather than just the agencies the gov can shut down on his own authority (they weren’t officially furlough days, he was shutting down the government). The workers, under the new plan, get to reclaim the days as paid days off in the future, so that’s good, and they get a no layoff pledge from the gov, which I think is probably reckless given how bad the state budget is these days.
You are correct that unemployment costs will lessen the savings, and I’m sure that’s factored into the layoff plan, as are the months it takes for the “bumping” process before anybody actually loses a job. I heard it takes at least four months to layoff anybody. Cuts into savings big time, plus the newer (and probably less expensive) people actually get laid off.
I can’t wait to read my next insult from you!
September 29, 2009 at 12:01 am
The unions are to fault as much as anyone else. They should have taken the furlough days from the start. Now, instead of a few people not getting paid and staying home, no one gets paid and everyone goes to work.
As far as reclaiming those days, they only get them when they retire or leave state employment. And the value of these days stays constant. So in 30 years, the value of those days will be a pittance.
A pledge from the governor? Are you serious? We all know that is a joke. And I seriously doubt that anyone has factored anything into any plan. Carcieri hires imbeciles to run the government. The Dept. of Administration is literally staffed by incompetent political lackeys. They certainly didn’t factor in the lost revenue of the past 6 months, have they?!
The reason the union is farting around at this point is because no one knows anything. The unions will not agree to anything Carcieri says until all the details have been set in stone. Not that his word means much, but Carcieri is a disaster as an administrator and they all know it. They’re just waiting to see what his next dumb move it. They are waiting for the other shoe to drop.