When i read this i do feel bad for those who need the money for families support.
Then again i also could imagine all the ones crying cause they cant afford the condo or Luxury car they own anymore Richy rich Bitches



(July 3) -- California state workers reacted with concern and outrage to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's plan to slash more than 200,000 workers' pay to the federal minimum -- or $7.25 an hour -- until the state produces a budget.

"I feel like we have a target on our backs," Robert Blanche, a 20-year state worker in the disability division of the Employment Development Department told The Associated Press. "My wife stays at home with the kids. This is our sole source of income. And people are going to lose their homes, lose their cars."

On Friday, a state appeals court ruled that Schwarzenegger can legally reduce state workers' pay when the budget is overdue. That means Schwarzenegger can force workers paid by the hour to accept the federal minimum, while managers would see their pay cut to $455 a week.
Sasha Mordovets, Getty Images
Some California state workers are preparing to tap into their savings while others already are cutting expenses as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's minimum wage order moved one step closer to reality.


The governor's current plan would cut the earnings of the average state worker to around $15,000 a year, compared with a current average of $65,000, the AP reported. The plan does not affect the 37,000 state workers represented by labor unions which already agreed to pay cuts and pension reforms.

Reaction was sharp and swift. Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, blasted the governor for "messing with people's lives" to gain leverage. Bruce Blanning, executive director of the Professional Engineers in California Government, said: "Our view is that when people do their job, they should get paid."

California's budget politics have grown intensely partisan in recent years, with Republicans refusing to agree to tax increases while Democrats resist cuts in spending. In 2009, the state was forced to pay workers with IOUs when state coffers were empty.

This year, the two parties are still at odds about how to deal with a $19 billion deficit. Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear says the reduction in state wages emphasizes the need for quick action from lawmakers

"The longer we go without a budget, the longer state workers will be faced with minimum wage, furloughs and layoffs," McLear told Politico.

"We all understand the immense budget pressure facing governments right now," Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson said in a statement. "However, paying state workers minimum wage will have a devastating effect on Sacramento's economy and on thousands of families."

Schwarzenegger was given a boost when an appeals court ruled on the matter Friday. The ruling stems from a 2008 lawsuit triggered when the governor issued a similar order that led to a long legal fight.

Golden 1 Credit Union, the country's sixth-largest credit union, announced it would offer a loan to any member whose wage is cut to the federal minimum or who receives no salary due to the budget impasse, the AP reported. Some of the loans will be interest free.

The plan immediately ran into problems when Controller John Chiang said he wouldn't be able to implement it: He said it's too complicated for his office's antiquated computer system to handle.

Chiang, who openly opposes the plan to reduce state workers' wages, claims his computers cannot handle the scheme and so he is not obliged to comply. His system was last updated in 1970 and it would take months to bring it up to speed, the Los Angeles Times said.

"This is not a simple software problem," Chiang told the Times. "Reducing pay and then restoring it in a timely manner once the budget is enacted cannot be done without gross violations of law unless and until the state completes its overhaul of the state payroll system and payroll laws are changed."

If the plan is executed, it will mean much smaller paychecks for workers who have already seen their income drop 14 percent in the last 12 months, thanks to enforced furloughs.

"This is the worst response to a budget crisis I've seen," Blanche told the AP. "He's trying to balance the budget on the backs of state employees."
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