Instead of saving money, unpaid days for state workers are increasing costs at some state agencies.
A move to save Oregon $40.8 million over two years with mandatory furlough days is actually costing some state agencies more due to increased overtime.
Gov. Ted Kulongoski ordered unpaid furlough days for 26,500 state workers to help fix the 2009-11 budget hole.
State payroll data provided to The Oregonian shows the departments of Corrections and Human Services saw overtime costs spike in the final three months of last year. Officials say furloughs are difficult to manage at prisons, the state hospital and other round-the-clock operations because they require other staff to work extra hours to cover all the shifts…
“The governor was really trying to avoid layoffs,” Kulongoski spokeswoman Anna Richter Taylor said. “Furloughs, along with pay freezes and no cost-of-living increases was a way to generate savings.”
Read the full story at OregonLive.com.
{biztweet}Oregon furlough overtime{/biztweet}
