The State Worker

Blog backs review your thoughtful and provocative online comments, amplify points, answer questions, correct our mistakes and humbly accept your warranted criticism.

Oct. 27 SEIU donations to Obama, against McCain exceed $16.5 million

I am sickened that my SEUI (sic) dues are being used support Obama or any political person. Those funds are to support our benefits.

Unions cannot use member dues for political purposes. They can, however, accept donations to their political action committees (PACs). That money can be used for political purposes.

Oct. 28 Public employees, public records and public trust

Yeah, what's your deal Jon? You really ought to at least try to appear impartial and objective versus unabashed muckraker.

We want to tell state worker stories. Sometimes those stories will be positive. Sometimes they won't. Our aim isn't impartiality or total objectivity. It's fairness.

Oct. 28 Furloughs? Pay cuts? State worker rumor mill in overdrive

Does anyone really think that the state will cut pay and furlough workers? Never happened, never will...

State workers took a 5 percent pay cut in mid-1992, which was restored at the end of 1993.

Oct. 29 Order in the court: Arguments heard in employee pay lawsuit

This lawsuit is about a stop gap measure the Governator tried to use before the budget was passed. It has since been passed (yes it is a pitiful joke of a budget I know). This issue is now moot and a waste of time and money.

The folks at DPA tell us that the administration is pursuing the lawsuit because Schwarzenegger wants to know whether the controller is constitutionally prohibited from paying more than the federal minimum wage to state workers without a budget in place. (The Supreme Court of California found that this was the case in White v. Davis.) If he prevails before the end of the 2008-09 fiscal year and the 2009-10 budget talks bog down, he might issue another temporary pay reduction order.

Oct. 30 Prop 5 goes after correctional officers

... Nobody cleans up in prison where the drugs are brought in by the guards.

We looked around, briefly, but couldn't find any online data supporting or refuting this assertion.

Oct. 30 California state worker ratio second-lowest in the nation

Does the Center's study include comparisons of states as to which categories it employees workers. How do these states compare in computerized record keeping that may reduce the need for support workers? Does the study look at states by factors as to reliance on state services versus that of county and city services? Why do the states near the top of the list need more employees per capita?

No. The data comes from the U.S. Census Bureau, which focuses on geography, work status (full or part time), employee function / department and the level of government (state or local).

Great questions, though!