Herald Leader Recognizes that State Workers Must Sometimes Be Treated Like Private Sector
In an editorial today, the Lexington Herald Leader recognizes what one group of state workers does not: that not even state workers are immune from the recession that is affecting the rest of the country.
The staff of the paper knows only too well the truth of the first line they write:
Furloughs have become something of the norm in the private sector during this ongoing recession.
Having faced this hard reality themselves, they recognize that state workers are not immune.
<p>Painful and costly as they may be for employees, they are preferable to more of the layoffs that have also become a norm in private business.Now, furloughs are becoming a reality for some public employees in Kentucky. With authorization from the General Assembly, Gov. Steve Beshear's administration is in the process of implementing a furlough plan for the executive branch of state government.
The furloughs -- six days for each employee, scattered throughout this fiscal year -- are expected to account for $24 million of the $131 million in savings the administration must find to balance the current budget.
Even before the furlough plan has been completely finalized, several state workers have challenged it in court.
Although we see no reason government employees should be more exempt from furloughs than workers in the private sector, the suit does raise some questions the Beshear administration needs to consider as it implements its plan.
The questions are legitimate asking are there situations where required overtime would be more expensive than a furlough. But let's note this occasion where we agree with the editorial board of the Herald Leader.
