Governor Schwarzenegger ordered thousands of part-time state employees laid off Thursday, as well as pay cuts down to the 6.55 minimum for many full-time workers. The order is intended to save money while the state continues to operate without an approved budget. Exceptions to the order were made for employees deemed essential to the running of the state, but 10,000 part-time employees have already lost their jobs, without any guarantee of re-hire. State Controller John Chiang believes the governor has overstepped his authority, and refuses to cooperate, calling the laid-off workers ?innocent victims of a political struggle.? The governor has apologized to his former workers and says he is hoping to sign an approved budget by the end of the month, but workers worry about paying their bills now. SEIU Local 1000 has already protested actively, and potential lawsuits loom.
See "Schwarzenegger makes layoffs, order pay cuts for California state workers", Michael Rothfield, Los Angeles Times, August 12, 2008