112 State Employees Sent Notices Of Layoffs

[Henry]

The Times Argus is reporting that at least 112 layoff notices have been sent to state employees. It's the first move toward cutting 320 state workers or positions, and that number could get even higher.

The Vermont State Employees Association also obtained memos from top state agency officials yesterday after a Freedom of Information request. The memos, which were written in February, warn of dire consequences if Vermont makes reductions in key state departments.

I can't help but make a comment as I see "notices have been sent to state employees".  I can't believe you would lay off people by sending them a notice.  Maybe I worked for a different company with different standards, but in my 28 years in management, can't believe an employer would do that and in this case I do consider the State an employer.

Then again, maybe the media reported it wrong.

[mirjo]

I can't believe the state is really putting that many people out of work. I'm not an economist by  a longshot, but I cant see how it will help the state's economy to have even more people in the unemployment lines, unable to put disposable income back into the economy, thus decreasing state revenue further. It seems to me that when the union came to the table with offers that brought the deficit down from whatever huge number it was to about a $3,000,000 shortfall, that the Gov. should have tried to work from that figure and save the jobs. throwing more people out into the already strapped employment landscape, seems completely counterproductive and much harder on EVERYONE looking for a job. Of course, JD is doing fine, he still gets paid well AND a real decent meal stipend.

[edakrupp]

I just have to think that things are rather dire. Cutting the working cogs of the political government machine just may not make things as smooth or efficient as  they used to be. I do understand that cuts need to be made, but from my point of view why not lower the salaries of the people who have traditionally made lots of money, and get them used to living like the rest of us. Cutting the middle man makes no sense to me- it perpetuates the rich getting richer and the poor or middle class getting stuck with poor service, inefficient/insufficient support systems and a poorer quality of life.