Controller Defies Governor's Order To Cut State Worker Pay
State Controller John Chiang says he will NOT implement pay cuts for state employees….despite the order from Governor Schwarzenegger to do so.
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(Sacramento, CA)
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Controller Chiang has filed court documents saying Governor Schwarzenegger doesn’t have the authority to force employees to take pay cuts without legislative approval. Last month, the Governor ordered state workers to take two unpaid days off each month. That amounts to roughly a ten percent pay cut. Chiang is in charge of payroll. He says without a court order, he won’t reduce employee pay. State workers unions have sued the Governor over the move. A hearing in that case is expected next week. Last summer, Chiang refused to implement Schwarzenegger’s Order to cut state worker pay to the minimum wage. The legal issues surrounding that move are still tied up in the courts.