California State Employee Furlough

This letter was sent out this afternoon by the Department of Personnel Administration:

To reduce current spending to ensure that essential services of the State are not jeopardized and the public health and safety is preserved, the Department of Personnel Administration, under the Governor's authority and at the direction of the Governor, has developed a furlough plan that will result in the closing of general government operations on the first and third Fridays of each month, beginning this February.  As such, these unpaid furlough days are not work days and employees shall not report to work.  The first furlough day under this plan will be February 6, 2009.

DPA will post details on its website early next week and send a memo to personnel offices with additional information.

For operations that cannot close, Agency Secretaries (and Directors who do not report to an agency) may request approval from DPA to use a "self-directed" furlough for specific positions. There will be two types of self-directed furlough:

        ·        Employees take two furlough days each month but on days chosen by the employee and approved by the supervisor. For example, revenue-generating positions may be considered for this type of furlough.

        ·        Employees accrue two furlough days per month to be taken when feasible. Furlough days that cannot be used within the same month must be taken within two years following the end of the furlough program. Furlough days will not be cashed out. Posted positions in 24/7 facilities such as prisons and hospitals automatically qualify for this self-directed furlough and do not require prior approval from DPA.

Salaries will be adjusted to reflect the unpaid furlough days, but benefits will remain the same (i.e., the furlough will not affect payouts for unused leave, service credit, health and retirement benefits, etc.)

Please note: The state continues to meet with representatives for state employees about the impact of this program and will notify you of any further developments.