Before Concession Vote–

About 600 State Workers On The Block

By Keith M. Phaneuf

©The Connecticut Mirror

An estimated 158 state employees out of 3,008 that have received layoff notices to date already have been separated from their jobs, and that separation total is likely to approach 600 before unionized workers finish their second vote on concessions, Governor Dannel P. Malloy’s office reported Wednesday.

And while the administration continues to make plans to shrink state government in the event concessions fail, two top officials said some planned closures have been delayed or modified given that unions have scheduled a second vote on givebacks.

Many of those workers removed from their jobs would be offered them back if concessions are granted, according to the administration. While this would be stressful for workers and pose logistical problems for state services, Malloy’s budget director, Office of Policy and Management Secretary Benjamin Barnes, said it’s an inconvenience the administration can deal with.

Rehiring workers “is going to be a whole lot easier than telling people they don’t have a job anymore,” Barnes said Wednesday during the administration’s weekly briefing on layoffs.

The governor submitted a July 15 report to the legislature that called for about 3,600 Executive Branch layoffs, but cut funding for more than 6,500 positions in total. The latter figure also reflects elimination of vacant posts as well as estimates of the jobs that the Legislative and Judicial branches as well as public colleges and universities likely would have to eliminate to deal with administration-imposed budget cuts.

With 3,008 layoff notices issued to date, up from 1,851 issued through July 20, the executive branch is nearing the end of serving pink slips, Barnes said.

The largest number of notices, 499, have been served in the Department of Transportation, followed by the Judicial Branch with 447, and Developmental Services with 443. Other safety net agencies also were targeted for big job cuts, with 233 notices served in the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, 208 in Children and Families, and 186 in Social Services.

Malloy has insisted since the first union concession vote in June rejected a plan to save $1.6 billion over two years that while he wouldn’t oppose a second vote, his administration would move forward with plans to cut staff and programs to otherwise balance the budget.

Besides cutting funds for jobs, the July 15 plan also cut dozens of programs and closed more than 20 state facilities including armories, prisons, adult education centers, various agency branch offices, and group homes and respite centers for the developmentally disabled.

 (This story originally appeared at CTMirror.org, the website of The Connecticut Mirror, an independent, nonprofit news organization covering government, politics, and public policy in the state.)