California is going to Heck in a handbasket

16 years ago

The Court of Appeals has ruled that the Governor can cut state employees' salary to the federal minimum wage ($7.25 per hour) in the absence of a signed budget. Once a budget is signed, the withheld salary would be paid. Of course, interest would be due on the unpaid salary, which would further put the state in a financial bind...

My husband and I both work for the state. This means our combined monthly salary for the month of July will drop to $2,552.

We've had mandated unpaid furlough days for 17 months, most of which have had 3 furlough days for an approximate 15% pay reduction. We were supposed to return to full salary this month. We got through the furloughs OK by simply cutting down on the "fluff." We used to go out to lunch every day, out to dinner a lot, etc. We've been "brown bagging" lunch every day, and only going out to dinner maybe once a month. All of our bills still got paid, no worries about financial obligations not being met, etc.

But federal minimum wage is a HUGE cut in pay for us. More than huge... I simply cannot imagine how families with children are going to make it through this...

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Comments (8)

kacram
16 years ago
our state is right behind yours.
Jasdip
16 years ago
Our minimum wage was increased to $10/hr this year.
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kacram
16 years ago
I think that California's minimum wage is higher than the
federal minimum wage also. The state workers won't even
get California's minimum wage
linda_in_iowa
16 years ago
The CHP will probably save you as they have before. If those guys get minimum wage they won't be making any traffic stops. I remember many years ago when there was no state budget on July 1 and the Governor, at the time, said there would be no pay for state workers until the budget was signed. After a couple of days of the CHP cruising and not make any traffic stops, the budget got signed in a big hurry.
sjerin
16 years ago
It's a way to get the legislature moving, something they (a certain party, anyway,) refused to do last year. He knows that if a couple of million people are yelling and screaming, they will have no choice but to make some decisions and sign the darn thing.
Lindsey_CA
Original Author
16 years ago
Yes, Kat, the California minimum wage is higher than federal. Our state's minimum wage is $8 per hour (federal is $7.25). I can understand how a judge (limited as his mental resources may be) could order minimum wage, but I do not understand how we can be paid a minimum wage that is lower than what our state law says is minimum wage.

Linda, no, the CHP won't save us. They've already ratified a new contract that guarantees they will receive full salary in the event there's no budget. I did have to chuckle when I read, "I remember many years ago when there was no state budget on July 1" because there has rarely been a state budget on July 1.

If anyone is curious as to how big a hit this is for us, you can go to the State Personnel Board's site for Job Classifications and Pay. You can search any classification. I'm a Staff Information Systems Analyst. My husband is an attorney, and the agency for which he works uses a specialized classification, but the pay is the same as a Staff Counsel III. (Neither of us is a supevisor.) Both of us are "topped out" -- which means we are at the top of the payscale for our classifications.

There are so many people in state service who are in "lower classifications" (lower pay) who are a one-income family with children to support, too. I shudder to think what this means for them.

Here is a link that might be useful: Classifications and Pay
kathi_mdgd
16 years ago
Lindsey,it ain't going,it's already gone.I live in S.Ca and thank God that DH and i are retired and he is also retired military.But our poor kids and GK'S are really suffering with all the cuts that have been and are being made.

2 of our GK'S live in N.Ca in a little town where pretty much everything has gone to He**.They've all lost their jobs,are dependant on welfare as their unemployment also ran out.Then to add insult to injury someone stole DGS'S car last week.The cops found it up near Modesto,it had been stripped of the wheels,tires,battery and hood.The cops had it towed to a tow yard and they,the tow yard are telling GS that he has to pay to get it out~~~~~~~~~~WHY????,he didn't steal his own car,nor does he have the money to get it out.So on top of everything they have no car now and there are no buses where they live.

Had to laugh at my GGS though this morning,he was telling me some bad guy stole his dads car,and he said he didn't like those bad guys and he had big muscles and if he see the guys that stole it,he GGS is going to punch them in the face.He'll be 5 in Nov,and no he's not a violent kid,but he loved that car.(a 1983 caprice classic)as much as his dad.

Me thinks our kids and GK's don't have a whole lot of good things to look forward to.Hope i'm wrong and things change,yet i won't take any bets on it.JMO
Kathi
rosemaryt
16 years ago
And Maywood California is gone. Toast. Fired all their employees. I understand that in Summer 2006, the Mexican flag was raised over the post office.

I fear that future historians will write about these times as the last days of the American Empire.

It's very, very sad.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bye Bye Maywood

California is going to Heck in a handbasket

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kacram

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California is going to Heck in a handbasket

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