Secretary of Administration Naomi Wyatt today provided details on how the state’s workforce will be further reduced due to budget cuts. The administration will begin furloughing 319 employees today.
“It is with deep and sincere regret that we announce these furloughs. This administration has been cutting costs and improving efficiency since 2003, but the sharp decline in state revenues left us with no other options,” Wyatt said. “While it was originally thought that up to 1,000 furloughs might be needed, the Governor was able to preserve as many jobs as possible by working to maintain spending at $27.8 billion and developing creative cost savings solutions.”
Facing a $3.25 billion revenue shortfall, managers of state agencies worked to assess the implications of their overall funding cuts. Agencies examined where they could reduce day-to-day operating costs and which services could be reduced or discontinued. Other operational and programmatic cuts have been implemented, including freezing all commonwealth managers’ salaries, closing many historical sites and limiting out-of-state travel. Furloughs were considered a last-resort cost savings option.
“Workforce reductions are emotional and extraordinarily difficult,” said Wyatt. “There is never a good time to furlough employees, and we recognize it’s even more difficult at this time of year. However, the timing is a direct result of the delayed enactment of the budget.”
If the furloughs were postponed until the beginning of calendar 2010, more than 100 additional furloughs would be necessary to meet budget constraints.
The Department of Environmental Protection and the Historical and Museum Commission have the largest number of employees affected by the Wave 2 furloughs announced today.
DEP will furlough 138 employees — roughly 5 percent of its workforce — and will not fill 120 vacant positions.
Critical environmental inspection and enforcement efforts that are essential to protecting health, safety and the environment remain top priorities and will not be reduced. For example, there will be no impact on the permitting and inspection operations performed by the Oil and Gas staff at DEP.
PHMC will furlough 85 employees leaving a total agency workforce of 250. Earlier this year, PHMC eliminated 43 positions. Earlier this year, six historic sites began transferring programming and operational responsibilities. Services at six additional sites will be discontinued and five sites will close for the winter and may reopen in the spring.
The State Museum will close on Mondays and Tuesdays and eliminate all new exhibit spending. The State Archives will close on Mondays and Tuesdays. The State Record Center will charge a fee for service effective Jan. 1, 2010.
In addition, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources will be receiving an unanticipated lease payment for natural gas extraction. The proceeds of this unexpected payment and the reduction in some park services make it possible to reduce the DCNR budget shortfall by enough to keep all state parks open this budget year.
The employees being furloughed starting today will be provided with 10 days of paid leave to be taken immediately before the Dec. 4 furlough effective date. Their final day on the job will be Nov. 20.
The furloughs announced today come in addition to the 450 furloughs that occurred at various times earlier this year. However, many previously furloughed employees have already been rehired by the commonwealth. For example, 65 people, more than half of the 233 employees furloughed in August who made themselves available for placement, have been rehired for other available state positions.
State employees facing furlough should work closely with their agency’s human resource office to ensure that they have the most timely and accurate information that applies directly to them. For more information, visit www.oa.state.pa.us.
