As most of you are aware, Governor O’Malley yesterday implemented furloughs on Maryland State employees through an Executive Order. This action was taken as part of a larger plan to address what was described as a shortfall in the fiscal 2009 budget of over two hundred million dollars. Yesterday’s Revenue Estimate was expected to add several hundred million more to the ’09 shortfall.
The plan calls for most state operations to be closed on the day after Christmas and New Year’s, with affected employees not working those days. Rather than immediately deduct the employee’s pay for those days, it will be spread out in the remaining pay dates through June 30, 2009. This is considered a Temporary Salary Reduction Plan. It is apparently being done to lessen the effect to employees during the holiday period.
Employees earning less than $40,000 will not be affected any further, but those earning between $40,000 and $59,999 will be required to take an additional two days without pay as furloughs during the period between now and June 30, 2009. Employees earning over $60,000 will take an additional three days in the same period.
The furloughs do not apply to shift employees in twenty four hour facilities. Any employee who is scheduled to be off on the two holidays, but called in to work in an emergency situation, will have to make up the time off with a later furlough date.
Although the governor is not required to negotiate furloughs with state employees, our AFT-Maryland affiliates, AFT Healthcare-Maryland and MPEC, and other unions representing state employees met with the Governor and his staff during the last two weeks in an attempt to propose ways to lessen the affect of the furloughs on our members.
AFT Healthcare-Maryland and MPEC made several proposals that were not included in the final outcome of the governor’s final decision on furlough implementation. The governor did include their suggestion that furlough days could be taken in one-half day increments to extend the number of pay periods employees making over $40,000 could use to take additional furlough days. It is hoped that this will lessen economic pain of absorbing this salary reduction. AFT Healthcare-Maryland and MPEC felt that furloughs were a preferable alternative to layoffs.
AFT-Maryland understands the current dire economic situation the state and the entire nation faces, and we recognize that the state must have a balanced budget. As our members make this personal sacrifice now, we will continue to work for a return of these lost benefits as conditions improve in the future.
Dr. Lorretta Johnson
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