PEF responds to reports of massive workforce reductions
Monday, January 24, 2011 at 12:38PM PEF has had no formal notification regarding proposals by the governor for massive workforce reductions as part of the Executive Budget proposal.
PEF President Ken Brynien said, “We all understand the state’s fiscal crisis and the need to find solutions, but any suggestion of reducing the state workforce by 10,000 to 15,000 would not only cripple the delivery of essential services, it would have a chilling effect on the state’s economy and undermine the state’s fragile recovery. We should all be working together to create jobs, not more layoffs.
“If the governor’s goal is to cut costs, PEF has several suggestions on how to achieve savings without damaging state services and harming the dedicated public employees who provide them. What cannot be lost in this debate is this is not just a spending problem, it is a revenue problem. PEF will present its suggestions to the governor on how to address both issues,” Brynien said.